South Sudan: “The light of a new dawn is possible”

Ashley Mwanza

Flag of the Republic of South Sudan 

“Scars remind us of where we have been but they don’t have to dictate where we are going,” the words of David Rossi (Character in 'Criminal Minds')

We all sail the waters of trials and tribulations and we become stuck, but at some point the tribulations ‘subside’. This is the point we need to move forward. A hearty congratulations to the people of  the Republic of South Sudan on the birth of their nation. We bore witness to the passage of history and the transformation of the map of Africa and the world. President Barack Obama declared: "Today is a reminder that after the darkness of war, the light of a new dawn is possible." It is indeed, and now is the time for the South Sudanese people to move forward. 9 July 2011 will be a day that not only the South Sudanese will cherish but the entire African continent and the rest of the world. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon mentioned that “nationhood has come at steep cost."

But, “what we need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring us to this very moment. And this is the moment we can choose to make everything new. Right now.”

When we hold on to the past we are usually holding on to a part of life that we will never get back and that is preventing us from progressing forward and realizing our future. The people of South Sudan can and will never forget the atrocities that lasted for decades. But now they have to accept that in our sad world we have to realize that pain is another part of life that we have to deal with. Yes, the pain of losing loved ones and more so livelihoods may prohibit us from thinking as clearly as we would like to, but we have to learn how to overcome this pain eventually so that our past may be released from our lives. We have to forgive those who have wronged us, and also apologise for the hurt we have caused and let the past go, so that we may turn around and face forward towards the future.

Johnnie Carson, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs a couple of months ago stated that, “these are two states (Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan) that are very much in the same boat. If one falls over, it’s likely that the other one would also fall over. We want to see a South Sudan that is strong and stable and we want to see a north Sudan that is also strong, democratic and stable and economically growing," he said. We all have a past.  But ultimately our past does not define us. It is there, but there is nothing we can do about it so we should work together, let it go and move on. The past is the past.  It is what it is.  We can’t change it.  If it is negative, then it acts as an anchor holding us back.  If it is positive, we can only lean on that so much and for so long.

Letting go can be painful.  It can even feel wrong in certain circumstances, but the only way we can move on is to let go. Today is the start of a better tomorrow for Republic of South Sudan. The 8 million plus inhabitants of the new nation must not remain mired in the quicksand of their past another day.  They have to embrace the moment they have right now to make a positive difference.  It is up to them.  Will they let go of their past and build a better future?

There is a foundational truth that underlies all change, which is, that in order to embrace the new, we need to release the old. If you want to go forward in your life, you need to let go of the things in your past that will impede or even prevent you from moving on. This can be likened to trying to walk forward while looking backwards; progress is less than satisfactory.

By continuing to dwell on events and set-backs a door is opened for resentment, hurt, grudges, self-pity, excuses, and bitterness to take root in people’s hearts and lives. The key to unlocking the door of our self-made prison is forgiveness. We do not have the power to change the past whether it be events or situations. Forgiveness cuts us loose and frees us to move forward and create a new future. 

Valentino Achak Deng, one of tens of thousands of child refugees who fled the war said, "tomorrow is a new day, and we are a new country ready to face our challenges on our own feet."  It is a tall order indeed, and their feet better be very firm on the ground especially those of President Salva Kirr. On the day of its birth, Ban Ki-moon noted, the Republic of South Sudan will rank near the bottom of all recognized human development indices, including the world's highest maternal mortality rate and a female illiteracy rate of over 80 per cent. “Critical issues of poverty, insecurity and lack of infrastructure must all be addressed by a relatively new government with little experience and only embryonic institutions," said Ki-moon. But with the strong winds having subsided, surely there is hope for a better tomorrow.