الأستاذ محمود محمد طه: إحتفال واشنطون بالذكرى كان رائعا (صور وتقارير)

What is the What

Of the many novels I’ve read, I would say the most influential would be What is the What by Dave Eggers. It is the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee, and his journey from Southern Sudan to the United States, and his life here as he attempts to forget the past and adopt a new culture. The man come for the Denga tribe, and at a very young age watches the murder of his father and is forced to run away to Ethiopia and eventually Kenya to escape the civil war that has been raging on for 26 years. He explains many of the hardships he has faced on his journey here, and many of the hardships he still faces today in America. I am from northern Sudan from a small city called Shendi. Unfortunately, ever since the separation from England we have been a nation very much divided. The north is dominated by Arabic speaking Muslims, who believe in enforcing Shari’a law (Islamic Law). The south, however, has a majority of Christians, and have far lesser influence from the Arabs. What some classify to be the epicenter of the war is Darfur, the largest state in Sudan. In Darfur, the “Arab” nomads and the “African” farmers have been fighting over land since the beginning of time. Recently, however, both sides have gained access to weaponry and the war has taken what was a part of the history of Darfur to, what some believe, is a full-blown genocide by the Sudanese government to support Islamic and Arab reign in the region and establish their new regime. I am a northerner, but I am one who believes in a secular state. Sudan is a nation of 135+ languages and too many tribes to count. It is true that the Muslims do outnumber all the religions in Sudan, but within the Muslims there is great disagreement on the meaning of Shari’a law, its purpose, and whether or not it should become the law of the land. On January 9, 2011, a vote began. It was a referendum to determine whether or not the south should separate. When word hit the lower eastern shore of Maryland, I was outraged and disgusted. My home, my country and what I believed the melting pot of Africa has proven to be nothing more than a mosaic, and soon a shattered one. Every sentence of the book hit home. The author, who once had my sympathy, had gained my empathy, because I too had become a refugee. There was no more Sudan. There was no more home. The was no more “Heart of Africa”. I lost my identity and there was no way to gain it back. By the end of February, I will be able to tell you if I am still Elfadil Osman.