South Sudanese told to learn EAC Anthem

Despite being a member of the East African Community, South Sudan always finds it hard when it comes to interaction due to the language barrier.

With an exception to South Sudan, most of the East African countries have Swahili as their second official language, and it is the common language used by cross-border traders.  

The bloc has also approved its own national anthem, which most of the South Sudanese, including government officials, are yet to recite.

According to Dr Ann Itto (pictured), a member of parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) representing South Sudanese, South Sudanese need to learn the Swahili language by all means if they are to benefit from the other development programmes within the bloc.

“I am aware that many people in South Sudan do not know how to sing the EAC anthem, but there is a need to learn since its meaning is already translated into English. “Let’s not look at the anthem in a language we do not understand, but we should start teaching our people to learn it for us to interact with the other 170 million people in the community,” she advised.

She said since Swahili is the lingua franca of the community, there is a need to have the anthem and be taught in school as obligated.

“Teaching this anthem is best done and easier in schools since the children are always singing their national anthem and, therefore, [there is a need for it to be sung] alongside,” she affirmed. 

Dr Itto believes Swahili is a very close language to Arabic in Juba, and it would be very easy for the South Sudanese people to learn, it could help a great deal in development.

“Competitions can be organised and people can be given gifts as appreciation, so they can take an interest in learning Swahili.” There is a  to start playing the EAC anthem along with the national anthem during national occasions and in schools. It took me a week to learn the EAC anthem and perfect it, I can bet if any competition is organised on how to sing, I am ready to win”. Dr Ann reiterated.

Develop an interest

Dr Itto has asked South Sudanese to learn to be part of the East African community so they can work to achieve the goal of being in the bloc. She noted that South Sudanese should take an interest in East African affairs since there are a lot of opportunities that have not been tapped, such as the huge market of more than 170 million people in the bloc.

“Look as we think of developing our oil wealth, agriculture and many other things, we shall not need to look for a market in Europe but sell within ourselves in the East African Bloc”. She added.

She noted that South Sudanese are already enjoying opportunities offered by the East African Community, such as training people in the trade, customs officers, the NRA, the Central Bank, financial services, providing scholarships, and harmonisation of the education systems.

Dr Itto also added that South Sudanese membership will help in the trade and integration of South Sudanese with people from other countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi who already know the Swahili language.

However, for the Member of Parliament (MP) at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Julius Moilinga, their counterparts at the East African legislative assembly should teach them the language since many of them already know the anthem. Moilinga is a musician, poet, and former secretary to the information committee that vetted the national anthem for the final evaluation.

“Many of our people do not know that we are already part of the East African Community. It is only the intellectuals. However, they have not introduced us to them officially, but we have our team in Arusha. We need to call our representatives to come and train us. I don’t know whether many of us know, even me, I don’t know. When our EALA MPs come back for recess, we shall call them to teach us because they know the anthem better,’’ he said.

 Moilinga argued that there is a need for the government, through the ministry of culture, museum and national heritage, to establish funds and people in the ministry to start teaching the South Sudanese masses the EAC anthem to avoid embarrassment when officials visit the other countries or on an occasion that requires one to sing.

 “Many of our colleagues have been embarrassed when they go out of the country. People should know their anthem by heart, for example, the athletes. An anthem is your sense of belonging, a song of pride for your country that you are proud of. That is why it should be taught to every child in school so that it can be inbuilt, but if you don’t know how to sing your anthem, you need to be taken for a checkup,” Molinga stressed.

He added that he has struggled to translate the national anthem into other local languages so that those who do not understand the English version can feel the love of their national anthem, and has called on the Ministry of Culture to help in translating the anthem to other local languages.

“Next stage, you need to sing the other anthem in our local language so they know it’s not a remedy or substitute, but our people should know. I have translated the national anthem to Mad’i, classic Arabic, Didinga, and when I sing it to the Mad’i they feel a sense of belonging, which we need to instil in everyone so that they own the national anthem,” Moilinga said. 

He called on the Ministry of Culture, Museum, and National Heritage to organise appreciation programs for the people who have promoted and uplifted the culture as a way to encourage others.

“The ministry of culture, museum and national heritage need to come up with a programme of appreciating people who have done well in the country to uplift those doing good.

 “I am already working and moving forward. I am going ahead and translating the national anthem into other languages. If I am appreciated, well and good, but my mission is to make sure all South Sudanese own their anthem in their language,” he stressed.

He urged the government, especially the ministry of culture, to take the issue seriously and ensure that the East African anthem is sung alongside the national anthem.

“African Union approved Swahili as African official language [and] it needs to be introduced, and the government must pick it up from there. It can be taught as a compulsory version. We have the committee of regional integration, and I think I will cause a point of discipline so that the issue of the East African Anthem and Swahili can be brought to the parliament.”

On his part, Kuac Wek, the Undersecretary for Ministry of Culture, Museum, and National Heritage, said most policies were pending in the Ministry of Justice.

He said since the national parliament has already been reconstituted, they expect the policies to be presented to the parliament.

“Many people have come to our office claiming to be the ones who composed the national anthem, and we have told them to follow the right procedures. You know, in any country, the award goes to those who perform outstanding work. It’s the office of the president’s to appreciate people unless we are given a directive to do so,” Kuac said.

David Lowila Ladu, the Director-General for basic education in primary and secondary education at the ministry of education, said the South Sudan national anthem is being taught in the schools, but he was not sure of the East African anthem.

“Every Monday morning (during assembly), here in Juba and the states, the students sing the national anthem, but I am not sure of the East African anthem. Swahili, Chinese and French is being introduced in schools and Swahili is compulsory. We hope if they are trained they can be able to learn very fast unlike for the government officials,” he noted

Sebit John, the DG in charge of teachers’ training education at the ministry of education and instructions, said that every morning from Monday to Friday the anthems should be taught in schools. However, they said they are going to relay the anthem since he does not have teachers in the college to teach Swahili.

The 12th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State meeting in Arusha adopted the EAC Anthem, Wimbo wa Jumuiya Afrika Mashariki, on December 3, 2010. The adoption of the anthem brought to an end a decade-long search for a song that East Africans would call their own. Wimbo wa Jumuiya Afrika Mashariki is a melodic three-stanza composition written in Kiswahili. It exhorts East Africans to pursue the virtues of unity, patriotism, and hard work while cultivating a spirit of comradeship.

On September 5, 2016, South Sudan became a full member of the EAC, but challenges such as trade, human resources, and competition are major challenges to its being in the bloc.

Another worrying factor is that in South Sudan, with an estimated population of 13 million people, only 20 per cent of them are literate, which makes it hard for them to compete fully. But experts believe that if efforts are exerted, South Sudan may prosper to become one of the best countries in the region.