Since
the earliest days of people stepping foot in the area of South Sudan, art has
been a part of the culture here. Many of these early arts include carving (both
in wood and in stone), weaving baskets from various reeds (typically from papyrus),
beaded jewelry and accessories, and making clay pots. In many areas, these arts
are still alive.
Even
though South Sudan has been through many decades of fighting, their sense of
art has not left them. Painters like James Aguer use their art as a means of
expression, cultural identity, and as a way to address social issues.
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| "Fight Against AIDS 2004" by James Aguer |
South
Sudan shares many literary traditions with Sudan. However, more Sudanese
literature is written in Arabic, and more South Sudanese authors tend to write in
English, but that's not always the case. Stella Gaitano is one South Sudanese author who writes in Arabic. Poetry has also long been a tradition among many tribes in this part of
Africa.
Taban
Lo Liyong is well known in African literature as a poet, novelist, professor,
and literary critic. Alephonsion Deng and his brother Benson along with their cousin
Benjamin Ajak are co-authors of the famous book They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys
of Sudan, about how they escaped government troops storming their village
and ran with nothing but themselves; it took them five years and a thousand
miles to reach Kenya and re-start their lives. I’m really interested in looking
this book up to read later on.
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