My fellow South Sudanese people around the world, I’m sure our existence, with a lot of differences among our cultures and traditions, in this lovely land called South Sudan is not a coincidence or a curse, but it is a blessing, and it is God’s wisdom that we should be there with all these distinctions!

God has known us before he put us there. According to my understanding, whatever God does, he always does it with grace and a great purpose because God’s ways are not human’s ways. So, we should accept ourselves and live with love, respect and harmony.

My dear 64 tribes in South Sudan, I’m sure we have been talking about what is separating us and bringing hatred among us for so long now. I suggest it is the right time to stop exercising those ‘unacceptable behaviours.’ I’m sure this difficult time will go, and we will end up victorious in God’s name.

Those who are practising oppression and bigotry will go. It is just a matter of time, as Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it always.’’

So, my brothers and sisters in my beloved country, do not lose hope. Start right now to promote what can bring us together instead of what can demote our cohesive unity.

We all have a beautiful culture that we should be proud of and focus on it; one that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. For example, we all respect our elders and mothers, we also have the most staggering dance groups in East Africa, if not the whole Africa and we are also proud of our ancestors.

However, I know we lack genuine leaders now since we lost the late Dr John Garang. The current leaders are not doing enough to bring us together. Instead, they’re focusing on their own tribes and leaving the rest to suffer and be humiliated.

Let us forget about what the current leaders are doing now because they stack already and they have taken us now to be more like ‘Somalia’, and that is a fact whether they accept it or not. They are just there to get their salaries, but they don’t have strong strategies or a good plan to take us out of this horrifying situation.

Lastly, let us forgive each other and give ourselves a chance for real peace and reconciliation, for the sake of this wonderful and magnificent country. For us to move forward, as Max De Pree said: “We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing and inclusion”.

The author is Student at Curtin University, Western Australia and he is also the author of the book called “the man from South Sudan” which was published recently by Africa world books. Can be reached through an email: dengatak09@yahoo.com.au OR by Mobile Phone +61434371590.

The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made are the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.