Voting Begins

Today I’m glad I’m not Sudanese, but wish I were. People started lining up just after dinner in some places…so they could be among the first to cast their cast their vote in the Referendum on Self-Determination. Many waited 12-16 hours, staying through the night and standing in the sun to vote. The projections are huge, with turnout anticipated to exceed 80% and some projecting the vote would be more than 95% in favor of secession. I was able to witness the drums talking and beating their enthusiasm for the joy of the people. The air was really electric. This is something the people had wanted for decades, and this day was anticipated since 2005. Things began peacefully, and the world watched as the people voted. I remember one old man, bent with age, but erect with pride, come out of the Referendum Center and staring at the indelible ink on his finger held up just a bit in front of him, marking his participation in the process. After a few slow steps, he raised his hand in the air and a smile erupted. His slow pace shifted into a quick jaunty step as he practically danced out of the Referendum Center. I went to Southern Sudan’s “Holy of Holies”, the memorial that has been prepared for their founding father, Dr. John Garang. He led them out of the bush and into legitimacy. I couldn’t help but think about the horrors the people had gone through, the 2 million killed in the bush during the years of civil war, more than 1 in 10 of the population. Everyone lost a family member, most of them close. I learned of the Lost Boys in the US, but thought it was a special group. Most of the youth were lost boys then, fleeing attacks on villages and walking for months to refuge. Some took years to find their families. A recent report noted that more than 1 in 3 women were gang raped. The broken generations here will not be healed by this vote, but it serves as a salve. The anticipation is drawing to a close and the joy is surfacing on faces that revert to solemn stares more than they should. I hope the people of Southern Sudan can hold this feeling close in the difficulties of the years to come.