Eastern Equatoria Celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day

The WASH UNITED declared the 28^th May as the menstrual hygiene Day and the world’s First celebration was on the 28th of May 2014. The Eastern Equatoria State Ministry of Education in Youth and Sports in collaboration with SNV-South Sudan Joined the Globe in organizing for the celebration of this important event day in Torit. This year’s theme was: “Break the Bloody Taboos & Let’s Start the Conversation about Menstruation.”

In my thoughts: Sexual Intercourse & South Sudan

It is no secret that most of the youth and adults in South Sudan are practicing sexual intercourse, and most of the time unprotected. We South Sudanese usually refuse to talk about any sexual matters with our children and that’s one of the reasons why the rate of young unmarried child mothers, child fathers and people who are living with HIV according to the recent research presented is quite high; because they have very little knowledge of the many consequences of sexual intercourse. We South Sudanese believe that such sensitive information a person is supposed to know, simply understand and should go by because it is instilled in his/her manners, culture and ethics. With that being said, even our schools refuse to explain to students in detail what the consequences of a sexual intercourse are, which includes producing a child, creating bigger responsibility, disappointment if before marriage and finally contracting many sexual transmitted infections (STI) and of course the incurable Lucifer HIV.

A question has been itching my brains for a while now, are we trying to say that we would rather deal with the consequences instead of preventing them? If not where are the HIV prevention campaigns? Why are you parents shy of talking to your children and educating them about what is most likely to happen after having sexual relations? Why are our schools not putting everything there is for children to know about sex in their syllabus? Because if we really wanted to prevent that’s where our focus would be rather than trying to help when it’s already too late. The earlier a person is educated the lower the risks become, other worlds are currently ahead of us because they most importantly do not lie to themselves. We tend to lie to ourselves and convince ourselves that our children, sisters, brothers, aunties, relatives, friends etc… are not sexually active, is that why we are not educating ourselves about the importance of protection? And if we are, are we doing our best to reach all parts of the nation? It’s as simple as driving a car, if you don’t wear the seatbelt to protect yourself, if an accident occurs, there will be damage and consequences that will affect you forever as a result of you not wearing that seatbelt.

Cultures, traditions, mindsets and even religion evolve, why you ask? Because as new generations are born they come with more open minds, they come and want to modernize the lifestyles of the old generations. The generation we live in today has evolved to where it’s becoming acceptable to do certain things in ways our grandparents would have never done, let’s not lie to ourselves by telling ourselves that cultures, manners, ethics, mindsets etc… are still the same because they absolutely aren’t. We must put all that we need to know in our books, billboards, stickers, events, conferences, hospitals etc… Create as much awareness as possible to save a future, & also a life.

Happy Birthday to the Queen of Black Beauty, Alek Wek

Alek Wek is not a Supermodel because she can catwalk and she is not a Black Beauty Queen because she's dark, No. Alek Wek is a Supermodel because she used what she could do to help us do what we can do. She is a Queen of black beauty because she helped us all see the beauty of our own.

I could go on and on about how much Alek Wek has done in my life. She's Alek the inspiration. Today I, WE stand grateful you are here. Thank you for all you've done and still doing.

Happy Birthday Queen.

We Are Nilotic presents "Our Side of the Story: South Sudanese Women"

We Are Nilotic project was presented earlier this year by South Sudanese model Nykhor Paul. A project that promotes unity within South Sudanese.

The Student Union NYC, a clothing and lifestyle brand based in Harlem NY joined forces with Nykhor Paul for We Are Nilotic project. In the brand’s words “It is an amazing cause with an even more amazing group of people”.

The Eunice Malath Show

It’s getting interesting for South Sudan’s Youth, the race for success is real. Author of “Love & Relationships, Guide for the Junubin Girl” Eunice Malath recently announced she will be hosting her own talk show "The Eunice Malath Show" which starts airing this April on KPAO T.V. Station in Omaha, Nebraska – USA.

South Sudanese & Kenyan Artists Collaborate to Deliver a Peace Message. (JO 1, NANCY CHAN, LUAL, KENDI and MORE)

Grand Pa records releases a new song titled "Today" by South Sudanese and Kenyan artists promoting peace and solidarity.

After listening to the track I only had one word to say... REPLAY!!!

Behind The Scenes Fabulousity (Nile Style Fashion Show - Juba)

Fashion is one of the fastest growing industries in Juba, just like that of music. December last year Nile Style Runway was held at Home&Away in Juba(too late to acknowledge? I say better late than never). The showcase was hosted by no other than Nyanut Ring Von Habsburg. A designer who market her designs under the brand Nile Style. Showing various designs, colors and material. Models like Manuela Modong, Grace and myself were present on that runway... 

Talent Of The Week: South Sudanese 7'0 Basketball Player Thon Maker

Name: Thon Maker
Birthday: 25th Feb 1997
NBA Position: PF/C
Class: HS Sophomore
Ht: 7'0
Wt: 205
Born: South Sudanese
High School: Carlisle School

Checkout this young man's talent on the video below... 

Dr. Sandra Banks Miss South Sudan 2012/13 Speaks on Being Light Skinned in Juba

I often, maybe always talk about skin tone; I mostly talk about dark skin because that’s what I was blessed with. Today I bring you a different point a view, the light skinned. Who better than Miss South Sudan 2012/13 Dr. Sandra Banks to tell us about being a light skinned in Juba? No one. Sandra shares a part of her daily struggle in Juba. I hope it inspires you to be a better person, she’s definitely inspired me.
 
1.    Often we hear people saying “Sandra is not originally South Sudanese”, tell us about your background and where you come from.

Sandra: A lot of people say I am not south Sudanese. I actually can’t blame them because I don't look like one especially my skin tone and hair texture. Well, truth is I am half South Sudanese, my mother is from the Nyangbara tribe with Rokon, Central Equatoria state as her hometown and my father is a Canadian. That’s the simple truth. I am born to a dark mum and a light dad and I happened to be brown like what most mixed race kids look like. I was born in Khartoum, Sudan where I have lived all my life and moved to Juba in 2011. I proudly hold the South Sudanese passport as well and I have not been denied it being born to a South Sudanese mother.

2.   What is it like living as a brown/light skinned woman in South Sudan?

Sandra: Living as a light skinned woman in South Sudan is not easy I have to say. I am always, always mistaken for a foreigner in the streets, the market even my workplace, everywhere. They always mistake me for a foreigner which is not a problem at all unless you are being kind of harassed because you happened to be one. Many people just think I am an alien and when I speak Juba Arabic they think I have bleached my skin. Traffic police stop almost everyday to check my license etc. and they initially address me in English and when I reply in Juba Arabic they get amazed, and get more amazed when they check the nationality on my ID. One of them was like  “Ita junubia?, lala yakhi, amshi yakh ma magoul’’ another was like ‘’aslu ma mumkin, ita jebu lon de min wein’’ I ended up having a few friends so when I come across them they wave hello and sometimes stop me to say hi and the other colleagues ask for my license and they go like no she is South Sudanese, and again you see the surprise. It’s kind of fun actually. There was once a time I got slapped by a police officer because he thought I was a foreigner, which I found very inappropriate because as a foreigner in other countries I don’t get slapped. It sends the wrong impression and no hospitality. When they found out whom I was, of course by checking my nationality ID and telling them my titles and place of work they actually apologized, but my cheek still hurt. Lol. At the market you get called all sort of names because of your colour and it being attributed to a certain character, sometimes I ignore, sometimes I just talk back in Arabic and they get quiet. The point is people shouldn't really be going through any of this. It would be better if people just acted normal towards each other.

“Hating skin color is contempt for God's divine creative imagination. Honoring it is appreciation for conscious, beautiful-love-inspired diversity.”

Another one was after winning the Miss South Sudan 2012/2013 title. I got a lot of criticism from social media and sadly from people who knew me as well saying I do not deserve to win the crown etcetera because first I am light skinned and second I am born to a foreign father. Other minor accusations were fake color and fake hair. Well, I just hope South Sudanese all over know that there are many light skinned people in this country like the Zande’s and people from Western Bahr-El-Ghazal. So stating that a South Sudanese must be dark is not logic and not reality either. Another thing, there are mixed race people all over the world. It’s not a crime and in normal situations they are accepted, but with the title of Miss South Sudan it wasn’t. It is not the skin colour that determines your loyalty to a country or your hair texture. Lastly, I was created by God, the same God that created all mankind, be them white, black, brown or yellow, no color is better than the other and no color is worse than the other, we are all human, people!

It is sad that people get to judge you by your skin colour, and it is sadder when it is a wrong judgment. I feel sorry for people who make these judgments because it shows how uncivilzed they are. The world is a big place and it is one world, a world for all of us, there is no room for discrimination. And I believe that I have love for this country just like my other dark South Sudanese brothers and sisters, because patriotism lies in your heart and not in your skin tone. And no matter how much they try they can take me out of South Sudan but they can never take South Sudan out of me.
 
3. What would you want to say to young girls about skin tones in general?
 
Sandra: A message to my sisters out there be them dark or brown or whatever colour God has given them; you are beautiful, embrace your skin colour. Do not wish you were any other tone except the one you are because God has created you in the best image, and if that tone didn’t suit you h wouldn’t have given it to you. To the dark skinned girls, you are truly blessed and black is a beautiful and gorgeous colour, love it and make it shine. Being brown I don’t see myself any better than any of you because it is not external beauty that counts, its internal beauty. Beauty comes in different forms. Last but not least, I love who I am and I totally accept it, and whoever mistakes me for a foreigner, well, there’s not much I can do about it. 

Last word for everyone out there “I hope that instead of judging someone by the colour of his skin, judge that person by the content of his character”. 

God Bless South Sudan.

Why “Junubiya”?

A friend asked me why I decided to name my Juba Monitor column and online blog “The Fierce ‘Junubiya’” she specifically asked “What does Junubiya mean and why exactly?” I was speechless because my personal history with that word “Junub” is very long, so I decided to share with all of you my reasons as to why I chose to be the fierce “Junubiya”.

Junubiya comes from the Arabic word “Junub” which means South. In Arabic the reference of a word to a male and female are most of the time different, like for a male you’d say Junubi, and for a female you’d say Junubiya, while in English it is one word for both which is “Southerner”.

My history with the word “Junubiya began while I was in primary school. Back then the two Sudans weren’t yet seperated. My Northern Sudanese school mates used to insult me by calling me Junubiya, why? Because I looked different. My nappy short African hair made me look different, my dark skin made me look different, even my height to them was perceived to be very strange, so they used their opinions about my appearance against me. They used it to belittle me. And they allowed me for a period of my life think that I was ugly, just because I came from the South, to be more specific from South Sudan. Just like other people who can relate, I became insecure. I felt absolutely hurt when someone called me Junubiya which happened quite often. Thank God for my backbone, my parents, their strength made it easier. They reminded me to be proud of our rich heritage. Despite their strength, I still believed having nappy hair made me ugly, I believed having dark skin made me ugly, and I also believed that being tall made me ugly. Years later, I got over my insecurity and had started convincing myself that I’m beautiful because my parents told me so, that was my point of strength. Yet I think the weakness was still within me because when I looked at myself in the mirror I still saw the flaws, I still saw the ugly Junubiya.

Few years later when I became a teenager, I saw South Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek on the Vogue website. They called her beautiful, gorgeous and they said her skin was flawless. I started seeing the beauty in me because someone else found beauty in someone else who looked like me. I remember during that time I started to change my perceptions about myself.  I decided to take my “weaknesses” and make them my strength. I started seeing unique instead of different, I started seeing beauty instead of ugly, and I started seeing the beauty of my dark skin. Little did I know that as I changed my perceptions I also began to change I other peoples’ perceptions.  They saw me the way I started seeing myself: Confident, Embracing of my black skin, proud of my short, natural, hair. I also didn’t mind being called a Junubiya anymore because I knew I was a beautiful, unique, tall, strong African woman. Once I discovered the beauty in me, I was only ashamed, ashamed that I ever thought God made a mistake in creating this image of me.  Ashamed that I wasn’t proud to be a Junubiya at one point in my life. And  ashamed that I felt insecure being an African beautiful woman.

And this is how the “The Fierce Junubiya” came about.  Fierce:  thunderous, strong, confident etc… and Junubiya is who I am.  I am nappy, I am tall, I am black, I am beautiful and I am very proud. And I decided to create The Fierce Junubiya column and blog to be a voice and empower other fierce Junubiyas.  To help all of us see the beauty in our own beauty, the beauty of being a Junubiya.  

My name is Eva, I am Junubiya :)

xo 

Miss World SS Manuela Modong Campaigns to Minimize School Dropouts

Lately we have not heard much good news in our beloved country. Well, Manuela Modong Miss World South Sudan takes a stand and changes that by campaigning to make sure we are all getting educated. 

In Manuela’s words “Education is important, it only makes sense that we minimize school dropout”. Well I agree, minimizing school dropouts is not only an advantage for the long run but also the short run. There are many street children, youth who if in school would not have much time to roam around the streets. Not to mention the future of this country relies on the youth of this country, we must take a stand to help them build this nation and that is possible through the books.

I love how Manuela is passionate about her cause, recently on facebook she also posted “You kill an educated person, you kill two things; the Education and the person. Peace Education in South Sudan a.k.a Minimizing School Drop-out and Girl Education” as she also calls out for the public to contribute to the cause through this status “We're thinking of organizing a campaign launch party of performances and creative acts, how can you contribute? inbox me your ideas or acts for "Minimize school dropouts"… Well how can you contribute? Check out  the poster below and let Manuela know.

Unnecessary Voices: South Sudan Crisis

It’s one thing to have an opinion and another to incite violence and I’m starting to think some of us are confusing the two. Over the past 4 weeks South Sudan has been under crisis, crisis that killed many, injured many, displaced many, oppressed many and depressed many. One way or another we have all been affected by the ongoing crisis, and I completely understand that we are all under very stressful days that we might say one or two things out of anger about the ongoing crisis. I also understand that social networks are almost a therapy session for most of us as it is a way to able to air out your feelings and many in the same situation would understand, comfort you and make you feel better. And I can also say that I understand some of us felt the need to put out an opinion to be discussed or maybe feelings to be relieved, I also understand that. What I do not understand is someone who has less experience with the ongoing crisis (meaning someone who wasn’t / isn’t even present during the crisis) inciting violence and war over social networks, I keep asking myself whether its because they are not in South Sudan right now and their lives are not at stake? Or maybe because they did not experience that fear when we in Juba were hearing gunshots, bombs and heavy fighting for continuous 3 days? Maybe its because they aren’t at the frontlines in Bor / Bentiu / Malakal trying to flee for their lives? I just can’t find the reason why someone would promote violence and war in a place they’re not even present within, even worse… some place they’re supposed to call home.

No, we are all not happy about the lives lost, No we are not alright with the injured, no we are not okay with the children made orphans, no we are not at all ignoring the matter at hand but yes, we do know better than to be inciting violence or war, why? Oh I’m guessing you weren’t there either, because we’ve experienced war, we know what its capable of, violence was never the answer, we’ve been there before we know its not the answer.

Shame on you for promoting war instead of peace, shame on you for asking a brother to hurt another, for asking your family to turn on one another, SHAME ON YOU. Be a better person than that, stop promoting war and if you can’t stop… For the sake of humanity, I ask you to remain silent. 

Uganda's Aamito is Africa's very 1st Next Top Model

Yes as predicted, the best won. The proud Ugandan that couldn’t hold her tears when she saw her country’s flag took the title home. What did she win? A one year modeling contract in New York, as announced on the show by ELLE’s editor Jackie Burger an editorial on ELLE Magazine, and of course the $50,000 cash price.  Its been a very emotional journey for the contestants but even more emotional for the last three standing, including Angola’s Michaela, Nigeria’s Opeyemi and of course the winner herself Uganda’s Aamito.

Aamito may have won the competition but this is only the beginning, we want to see you everywhere girl… On ELLE, VOGUE, Marie Claire, Chanel runways, Versace runways and yes… Victoria’s Secret runways too. Congratulations.

Swim or Sink Shoot

(The Last Three Standing)

Opeyemi - Nigeria

Micheala - Angola

Aamito - Uganda

The Moment Of Truth

Aamito is Africa's Next Top Model

In Other News, South Sudan's Grace Bol poses for Sleek Magazine!

Grace is a New York based South Sudanese Model, Magazines are not new to her as we've already seen her on Elle, Vogue and many more. This time around going for the calm and scenic route for Sleek Magazine‘s Spring/Summer 2013 issue. Photographed by Marcus Pritzi

Check it out.