13/10/2024
To: Uncle Aleu Ayieny Aleu,
We hope this message finds you well, Uncle, and always be in the name of our ancestors.
First and foremost, we would like to grab this golden opportunity to acknowledge your immense sacrifice and work you have accomplished as well as your indelible contributions towards the liberation that birthed the country we now proudly call home, thank you for being part of the pioneers of the 16th May Revolution, we appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts as South Sudanese youth for the incredible journey you have taken in not only liberating our country but becoming a legend you are as a result of this process.
We are voicing our concern and disapproval in regards to your choice of outfit at the wedding ceremony of Pan Adolmuot and Pan Vasili which occured days ago.
NB: We will not attach the original photo or the video out of respect for you and our wish to distance ourselves from anything promoting any foreign culture that is a threat to our cultural values and norms as well as adhering to Jieng Journal's Afro-centricity only contents.
Dear Uncle,
As an pioneer, a liberator, an icon and most importantly an elder that we deeply respect and model we would like to bring to your attention of our despondence and disappointment with the way you presented yourself previously at the wedding Ceremony between the two beautiful families of Pan Adolmuot and Pan Vasili where you attended a Traditional Jieng wedding ceremony wearing a full Arab traditional attire, a white robe with a turban beautifully scarfed on your head, no doubt that you were looking stunningly impressive, smart and classy with the attires on, perfectly fitting on you btw😊
Unless our sources and our Jieng historical record betray us, we do know that you are from Paleu Clan of Jieng Rek section. Historically Paleu is one of the first few clans established before other clans currently inhabiting Jieng Rek lands after the grand migration of Jieng lead by spiritual leader Longardit from the east to the west crossing the river and settling first in Cuei Muor Angac believed to be in present day Yirol, Lakes States. Given this fact they are found all over Jieng Rek lands from Kong-gor Arop in Tonj to Korok Achien Yor in Mading Aweil just to mention but few.
As fate would have it, one of our revolutionaries and great liberators in the person of Aleu Ayieny Aleu hailed from this great clan with rich Jieng cultural heritage.
Now to briefly elaborate more on the message of this piece of writing, we would like to express our sincere disappointment in you Uncle, for having presented yourself the way you did inspite of being one of the wisest Jieng elders we adore and look up to as a teacher and mentor of Jieng youth on how to better embrace their culture and not desert, deny or demonize their roots and identity by publicly embracing any foreign culture which directly or indirectly preaches the demonization of our cultures and traditions.
It's in our knowledge that not only are you a liberator but together with Uncle Ateny Wek Ateny, you are all Jieng scholars, and leading figures amongst us who are so outspoken and vocal regarding so many affairs that are affecting us as a Jieng community around the world which undoubtedly explain your constant invitation to speak at various Jieng weddings and ceremonies.
It was sad as much as disappointing to all of us who place you on the pedestal as a role model insofar as our cultural values are concerned, it was a slap in the face to all those who worked relentlessly to indoctrinate our people into cultural awakening, it was a bomb dropped on all the work we continue to do persistently to help reshape our lost children, brothers and sisters to avoid clinging desperately on any foreign culture introduced by the foreign agents of cultural destruction, because they have the most beautiful culture embodying Honor, Dignity, Obedience and integrity as well as norms, values and principles that shaped and continue to shape our people's rich way of life teaching them that it is of no importance and relevance to cuddle a different culture for you are not truly a human being if you cut your roots and desert your identity.
Outfits are generally used to identify certain group of people or organisations for instance if you put on a Grand Dragon which is a full white robe and a hood in America you will be 100% labeled as a K*K member because the clothing and the outfit are the symbols of the white supremacy group known as the K*K, similarly if you put on a vestment you will automatically be said to be a clergy or a Christian priest so the choice of clothing and outfit matters as it translates to your acceptance and identification of the group associated with that particular garment or attire in question.
Seeing you in Arabic attire and garments caused us a psychological shock and defeat in this fight of teaching cultural embodiment in view of the fact that as one of the most popular politicians and Jieng elders who values his own culture it was not the best thing to do to publicly declare an endorsement of foreign cultural attires moreover an Islamic attire in other words an admiration for the culture of our sworn nemesis.
A foreign culture that we as South Sudanese have fought viciously day and night for 50 consistent years because our forefathers understood one thing and that was accepting this Islamic or Arabic religion and it's culture camouflaged as mere garments was a Jieng cultural su***de which will have subsequently lead to a full Arabization of Jieng and culturally, socially, politically assimilate them into Arabness or better, create a psychological crisis of identity that will harden their cultural resurrection if it survives the fatality at all hence it is imperative that the elders who paved the way for us should act according to the way that uplifts the community, inspire the young generation and uphold Jieng traditional principles which automatically becomes a form of encouragement and promotion of our norms and values as this helps build confidence and high self-esteem in our young generation which is a victim of modern technology and rapid premature urbanisation of our country leading to "Ngupngup geu ka tuc" and ignoring or neglecting the culture that gave us our names, language, songs, dance which is reflected in our love for Jieng nation.
While it is totally acceptable for any individual to choose or dress whatever and however they deem appropriate regardless of race, religion or gender it's quite ambivalent for a Jieng elder who participated so much in the fight of repelling the very culture that he's today putting on it's religion-symbolising garment and attend a traditional Jieng wedding ceremony where he graced the stage and gave a speech to the audience present at the time.
As Jieng youth and Pan Afrikanists, this is grossly unacceptable on behalf of all African cultural revivors and would like to deeply express our disappointment in you, uncle, we feel like you have let us down and have now weaponized enemies who are holding their breathe to see us fail in preserving our culture and tradition, we vowed to suffocate them but now that they've seen one of the most prominent elders publicly on Islamic garment they have everything they need including but not limited to free oxygen to attack and belittle our culture and traditions to a point of death.
Now to some extent our followers who were on the journey to fully immerse themselves in our rich culture and embrace it might be discouraged and lose confidence that took them hard work and dedication modeling so many great Jieng including yourself uncle to build, seeing a role model like you in a garment we publicly preach to boycott and avoid at all costs is a terrible setback.
As discouraging, saddening and dismaying as it was we know and can categorically state that you are a proud Jieng elder who will never desert his identity comes the sky falling as we believe this was inadvertent, however it was as we said a weapon for those who are secretly, discreetly and diligently working to commit a cultural homicide by installing an Islamic culture which will change and completely shatter our beautiful culture to pieces as it is discouraging to many and confidence-murdering in some.
The Islamic religion has tirelessly attempted to murder our culture and spirituality in cold blood for ages as resilient and strong as our culture and forefathers were, it would be a shame and disgrace for us to embrace and desert our culture right after they perished protecting and preserving the core values and essence of this very tradition that guide us socially, mentally and spiritually.
Hence we fight and continue to fight the demonization and the ethnocide in any way shape or form from various elements including the in-house participants and spectators of the ethnocide taking place in Africa today.
Together we shall rise.
Thank you for your understanding and for having read this piece.
We would also like to apologise in advance should you find any statement denigrating or negative, we did not mean it that way and do not wish to insult you in any way or form, we just thought it was important for you as a Jieng elder to hear our concern on this matter.
Thank you, Uncle.
May kedit Paleu
kedit Jiel Awar
Kedit Kuel Arek
Kedit Kom Richker
Kedit Longar Jiel
Kedit Ayuel Jiel
Kedit Ariath Makuei
Kedit Akuien Kom
Kedit Hol Kuek Anyang
Kedt Muonyjang eben bless you
Yenakan.
Yours sincerely,
Jieng Journal Admins
Please help this message reach Uncle Aleu Ayieny.
