Some brief background:
Sudan is a country that has experienced several decades of political unrest. It first gained its independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956. Following that the country faced 17 years of civil war, the end of which did anything but bring peace to this eastern-African nation.
Political struggles continued between the heavily Arab north and the mostly Christian south until Sudan's second civil war came about in 1989.
With or without this great unrest, Sudan is a country where family plays an integral role in both the north and soon-to-be-seceded south. Sudan is a country of great dichotomy. Acts done in the name of family have been the cause of great sorrow. Inversely, family has been a prime cause of celebration in Sudan.
A Man and His Cattle
Mogai Dhieu was the head of his family, the voice of reason amongst his family members and the one to settle disputes. But in early January, Dhieu was killed and taken from his family by a raid of 500 tribesmen in what is known as a "cattle rustling raid".
Cattle are of the utmost importance to the Sudanese family. In fact, without cattle a man cannot marry and start a family of his own, reporter Frank Langfitt said for NPR.
"In South Sudan, cattle are currency," Langfitt said. “Wanna marry a woman? Better have a dowry of 25 to more than a hundred head of cattle.
This importance, coupled with a shortage of work for Sudanese people has led to cattle raiding, and the violence associated with raiding has escalated to include the abducting of children in several recently documented accounts.
According to a report by NPR, the United Nations estimated that in 2009 about 2,500 were killed due to tribal violence; a large portion of that was due to cattle raiding.
Reason to Rejoice in Sudan: Marriage
Sudan has long been a country of mixed backgrounds, a melting pot of several histories. The country is Muslim, Christian, Egyptian; and no culture is dominant over the others, according to an article in the Sudan Tribune.
Opheera McDoom’s wedding was a week-long “pharaonic” occasion complete with family rituals that have stood the test of time; including a racy dance that survived a Sudanese government run by Islamic Sharia Law in the 1990s. No doubt the then -ruling Islamic regime would have loved to get rid of the scantily-clad bridal dance.
In fact, Sharia Law is one of the prime issues of debate causing South Sedan to recede and become its own country. The people of the south wish to have a secular government while many of the Muslims in the north wish to unite the country under Islamic law.
Seceding from the north will allow time-tested traditions like McDoom’s wedding to continue in the south.
Sudan is a country that has experienced several decades of political unrest. It first gained its independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956. Following that the country faced 17 years of civil war, the end of which did anything but bring peace to this eastern-African nation.
 |
| South Sudan is about to secede and become its own nation. Some are anticipating another war as a result of the mainly Christian south's independence from the mainly Islamic north. |
Political struggles continued between the heavily Arab north and the mostly Christian south until Sudan's second civil war came about in 1989.
With or without this great unrest, Sudan is a country where family plays an integral role in both the north and soon-to-be-seceded south. Sudan is a country of great dichotomy. Acts done in the name of family have been the cause of great sorrow. Inversely, family has been a prime cause of celebration in Sudan.
A Man and His Cattle
Mogai Dhieu was the head of his family, the voice of reason amongst his family members and the one to settle disputes. But in early January, Dhieu was killed and taken from his family by a raid of 500 tribesmen in what is known as a "cattle rustling raid".
 |
| NPR's report on cattle raiding shed light on one of the country's domestic problems. Cattle thievery is a violent and tragic event that has killed thousands of Sudanese. |
Cattle are of the utmost importance to the Sudanese family. In fact, without cattle a man cannot marry and start a family of his own, reporter Frank Langfitt said for NPR.
"In South Sudan, cattle are currency," Langfitt said. “Wanna marry a woman? Better have a dowry of 25 to more than a hundred head of cattle.
This importance, coupled with a shortage of work for Sudanese people has led to cattle raiding, and the violence associated with raiding has escalated to include the abducting of children in several recently documented accounts.
According to a report by NPR, the United Nations estimated that in 2009 about 2,500 were killed due to tribal violence; a large portion of that was due to cattle raiding.
Reason to Rejoice in Sudan: Marriage
Sudan has long been a country of mixed backgrounds, a melting pot of several histories. The country is Muslim, Christian, Egyptian; and no culture is dominant over the others, according to an article in the Sudan Tribune.
Opheera McDoom’s wedding was a week-long “pharaonic” occasion complete with family rituals that have stood the test of time; including a racy dance that survived a Sudanese government run by Islamic Sharia Law in the 1990s. No doubt the then -ruling Islamic regime would have loved to get rid of the scantily-clad bridal dance.
In fact, Sharia Law is one of the prime issues of debate causing South Sedan to recede and become its own country. The people of the south wish to have a secular government while many of the Muslims in the north wish to unite the country under Islamic law.
Seceding from the north will allow time-tested traditions like McDoom’s wedding to continue in the south.
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