Another day in Juba, southern Sudan...
The pictures are the training site, the outside of the prison, inside the classroom, and a partial class picture (the group was too big – 56!).
The good news today is that we have our travel passes from the UN and we’re booked for the Friday UN plane to Khartoum. However, nobody is quite sure what time it leaves!
Something you don’t see every day - - - tribal scarring around the head. And the kids on Granville Mall think they’re tough with piercings! It’s common here to see men with several parallel rows of scars running the length of their skull, on either side. Rite of passage and puberty. If you flinch, it’s visible to the world for the rest of your life. People are tough here.
Found out that it’s illegal to take pictures in southern Sudan. Anywhere. Oops.
Had a fascinating conversation about marriage. Remember, I’m in central Africa, which is very tribal. Religion is a blend of animism and Christianity, but flexible enough to meet local customs and traditions. Multiple wives is OK. Men fooling around is OK. Women who have sex, any sex – which includes rape, is guilty of adultery and goes to prison. If a man dies, his eldest brother inherits his wives. If no brother, the eldest son of the first wife inherits the other wives, and also must support all the children. Women, and their chastity, are items to be purchased. Here, the going price for a wife is 150 cattle. I asked what happens if I fall in love with a local women (love is a foreign concept) and don’t have 150 cows. No problem. The entire class offered to chip in and each man give me a few cows. What are friends for? They can’t understand that I’m in a marriage with no children and have only one child by my first marriage. Too strange to them. They wanted to know if this was ordered by the government. With only one wife and one child, I’m a pauper by their standards. I, on the other hand, think I did damn good with a great wife and daughter.
Forgot to mention the good news! I was told over lunch I don’t really have to pay 150 cows for a wife. Apparently I can pick up a good “used” wife for 30 to 40 cows. I was tempted to ask if there was low mileage and she’d only been driven to church on Sundays. A “used” wife is a widow here. Is this kind of like the concept of a “starter” home?
Something you don’t see every day - - - tribal scarring around the head. And the kids on Granville Mall think they’re tough with piercings! It’s common here to see men with several parallel rows of scars running the length of their skull, on either side. Rite of passage and puberty. If you flinch, it’s visible to the world for the rest of your life. People are tough here.
Found out that it’s illegal to take pictures in southern Sudan. Anywhere. Oops.
Had a fascinating conversation about marriage. Remember, I’m in central Africa, which is very tribal. Religion is a blend of animism and Christianity, but flexible enough to meet local customs and traditions. Multiple wives is OK. Men fooling around is OK. Women who have sex, any sex – which includes rape, is guilty of adultery and goes to prison. If a man dies, his eldest brother inherits his wives. If no brother, the eldest son of the first wife inherits the other wives, and also must support all the children. Women, and their chastity, are items to be purchased. Here, the going price for a wife is 150 cattle. I asked what happens if I fall in love with a local women (love is a foreign concept) and don’t have 150 cows. No problem. The entire class offered to chip in and each man give me a few cows. What are friends for? They can’t understand that I’m in a marriage with no children and have only one child by my first marriage. Too strange to them. They wanted to know if this was ordered by the government. With only one wife and one child, I’m a pauper by their standards. I, on the other hand, think I did damn good with a great wife and daughter.
Forgot to mention the good news! I was told over lunch I don’t really have to pay 150 cows for a wife. Apparently I can pick up a good “used” wife for 30 to 40 cows. I was tempted to ask if there was low mileage and she’d only been driven to church on Sundays. A “used” wife is a widow here. Is this kind of like the concept of a “starter” home?
Did I mention the story of the 7 year old boy who at the request of his parents took the place of his younger 4 year old brother in prison? Not sure why the younger one was locked up, but he was sick, so the prison agreed to a surrogate serving his sentence. We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.
posted by Mark L at
5:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home