Teaching history in the independent South Sudan

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 9th January 2005, will be dead by the 31st July, 2011, and that should have been six months later after the 9th January 2011 referendum process for the people of southern Sudan to decide on their own destiny. By that time the people of southern Sudan would have been celebrating and ululating over the new independent State of Southern Sudan. 

The beauty of South Sudan

 Thus, as people of southern Sudan are gearing up for independent, which means we (the southerners) must bear in mind that the complicated history of Sudan which talks about the Egyptian or the Mahadist Revolution which started in 1881 and did not talk about Southern Sudan (as if there were no human beings existing in that region) will be changed. 

As such, today I am having a guest by name Ndole Ndoromo Kumama. Kumama is a teacher by profession and is born in Yei town of the Central Equatoria State and has the following article on teaching history to the independent State of South Sudan since we the southerners are lacking our own history…! 

Teaching history in independent South Sudan

By Ndole Ndoromo Kumama  

History is a mother education that encompasses all disciplines and learning; philosophy, psychology, sociology, culture, trade, economy and politics among others are the pillars on which the foundation of the new nation of south Sudan to be built as the predecessor nations in Africa.  

Historians, archeologists, artists, teachers and scholars have great task of bringing the south Sudan past to felt realities. At this particular material time in the making of our nation, we should be actively engaged in preparing the operations of our new nation.  

The making of the new sovereign Republic of South Sudan and the writing of its history is the sole responsibility and duty of the South Sudanese. Our ministries of education,  information and culture in addition to the universities and institutions of education in the ten states and training centres should inspire and stimulate the intellectuals to engage in research and writing. If the present generations and professionals cannot reduce the wealth of our oral history and the traditions into writing, we shall have no reference point on where we started, where we are now and the direction of our future.  

While our political leaders are currently busy discussing with the north the remaining provisions of the CPA; the border demarcation, oil and resources sharing and future relations of the two States, the professionals aforementioned, but the historians and teachers should be conscientiously constructing the pillars of the new nation of South Sudan.  

You will agree with me that the new nation should not inherit the problems of the past governments of Sudan and of south Sudan. The political leaders and the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and the states members of the parliament are earnestly called upon to join the crusade.  

Education is the responsibility of all the members of our community if we are to establish a sound system of education for our nation cherished above. Therefore, the role of the education experts is to grade the syllabus according to the different levels of education for easy deliverance by the teachers in the classrooms and the lecture halls.  

History is a national reference and custodian of people’s’ and nation’s past experience; resistance to foreign invasions and colonization, wars fought, victories won, inventions and discovery made, tools used, production and movements. The aforesaid past experience contributes positively to their present state. History educates us to correct and avoid the negative past experiences. Worth saying, history enlightens and guides and directs the present generation of South Sudan to construct their future nation rightly and firmly; a nation to be and is already a home for all and generations to come. History unites us with the past generations and makes the past experience living realities. The development and the progress of our future nations depends on the experiences we learnt and drawn lessons from the past.  

Because of its importance, history teaching in our primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities should be given its importance in our national educational goals and curriculum so that it unearths and reflects the past struggles of the people of South Sudan for survival through centuries of interference with the mode of their lives and the oppression they underwent through.   

History informs about free states, nations and kingdoms established systems of governance and developments they made. The whole national curriculum of South Sudan should be a mixture of realism and idealism. What is written in the Sudan history textbooks is very negligible as if the people of South Sudan have no stories about their existence since the immemorial.  

Worse, what they recorded and wrote is a cursory war register. No documentation done on the life of the indigenous and their achievements. The social and cultural aspects of the communities of the south are totally neglected. History is all about total lives of human beings.  

Thus, it is very vital and a must for us to include the teaching of social and cultural histories of South Sudan societies, nations and kingdoms in our school curricula and syllabi.  

Language teaching should be made a cross-cutting subject that accommodates aspects of the other social sciences as well  as history.  

Past experience of teaching history  

Teaching history in the republic of Sudan did and does not build self-image of the learner in South Sudan. This is worse in the first foundation of education, the basic level (primary and secondary). The system of education inculcates and instills to the young mind of the pupil his/her belonging-ness to the Arab and Muslim world. The learner is constantly informed that Sudan is an Arab Muslim country and that it is spearhead to inculcate and penetrate the Arab muslim civilization into the interior of Africa. The resources (including the oil) of the South are the resources of the Arab World. Alas! The child is made to appreciate, against all odds; his/her Arab muslim imposed false personality. The child who could not go beyond this stage will end up with scant information and knowledge about his/her supposed country, the Sudan. Not only the history subject but…to be continued…!!!   

This story will continue on the part two of this article, as the author Ndole Ndoromo Kumama has written a very long article of the benefits of having our own history of our future South Sudan State. So check out for the next edition of the part two here on emmykwa blog which will be publishing all the articles written by Kumama…!!! Do not miss the next edition.