The enthusiasm for the development of women’s football in the world’s youngest country is now palpable. Having gained independence in 2011, South Sudan was devastated by a civil war from 2013 to 2018, and despite a peace agreement, tensions continue. For young South Sudanese women, playing football is a way of writing another history of … Continued
Chief Simon Soro was born in 1926 in Rokon, a village located 80 km to the north-west of Juba. The son of a prominent chief, in the 1940s he came from Rokon to Juba, which was then a fairly new colonial town. He enrolled in school and growing up, he witnessed first-hand many aspects of … Continued
In 1940, Juba had an official population of about 1,600 people, comprising 57 European Government officials, missionaries, and traders, 132 Northern Sudanese officials and traders, 27 Egyptians, and 1,397 Southern Sudanese “subordinate Govt. employees and local labour,” in the phrase of a military handbook of the time. There were at least 4 private … Continued
Blind football – this football practiced by the visually impaired – was introduced in Juba in 2020 by the NGO Light for the World, which specializes in the fight for the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. Despite the difficulties, among which negative stereotypes and the lack of resources, the South Sudan Blind Football … Continued
In September 2022, inflation in South Sudan was estimated to stand at 45% since the beginning of the year. As floods and violence have disrupted livelihoods in many parts of the country, hunger is rising. The UN have announced on 25 November that next year, a record 9.4 million people are expected to need … Continued
Some of the following is excerpted from “Cinema, Southern Sudan, and the End of Empire, 1943-1965,” by Brendan Tuttle and Joseph Chol Duot, which appears in Sudan, 1504-2019: From Social History to Politics from Below (2022), edited by Mahassin Abd al-Jaliil, Iris Seri-Hersch, Anael Poussier, Lucie Revilla, Elena Vezzadini and published by De Gruyter. Cover … Continued
Juba was established on a rocky ridge extending east from Jebel Körök (popularly called Jebel Kujur) to a bend in the Bahr al Jebel where it was deep enough for steamer traffic. Unlike many of South Sudan’s towns (Wau, Tonj, Shambe, Meshra-el-Rek, Rumbek, Bor, and so forth), Juba was not a former slaving station that … Continued
The perspective of filmmaker Florence Miettaux: What is the work of a chief in South Sudan? What kind of problems are customary leaders dealing with on a daily basis? Are chiefs still important in the country? What do younger generations think about them? These are some of the questions that guided the making … Continued
Tayara Jatna tahuom Sawaga zol mal khom Ramat alghanabil kom Katalat humar Kaltoum Fil Mourada. An aeroplane came to us swaying Her pilot had no target He hit us with a bunch of bombs which killed the poor Kaltoum’s donkey In the Mourada.1 On April 15, 1930, Mary Russell, the Duchess of … Continued
It’s a neighbourhood on the edge of South Sudan’s capital that may not feature on its official map. Lokonyo village (near Jobari village where we did some previous reporting), is located to the north-west of Juba, somewhere between Gurei and Luri. It’s a recent extension of Juba, where residents have settled over the past decade … Continued
Criticised by some as too costly and premature, a certain amount of skepticism was surrounding the event organised by the government of South Sudan on Wednesday 31st October to celebrate the signing of a ‘revitalised’ peace agreement in September, after more than four years of civil war. Former vice-president and leader of South Sudan’s main … Continued
Charles Moga started working as a fisherman in the early 1980s and knows one thing for sure: he will “do this work until [he] dies”. He is a son of Juba. Born and raised in what is now the capital of South Sudan, he has never lived anywhere else. He has witnessed the city’s … Continued
Here is one of many life stories tormented by the war that has plagued South Sudan for more than four years. It is not as brutal as the experience of those who have fled their homes or lost loved ones. Mary Kenyi is still alive. But war caught her up in the capital. Due to … Continued
In November 2017, the first public exhibition of the South Sudan National Archives in the streets of Juba, at the National Parliament and in schools triggered passionate discussions about the country’s history. The Archives were established at the beginning of the 20th century by the Anglo-Egyptian colonial authorities, and are currently preserved by South … Continued
They’re called Gatthak, Bakhita, Wiyual. They are South Sudanese and study at the University of Juba. Their lives changed dramatically when fighting erupted in the capital on 15 December 2013. All of them from Nuer ethnicity, they fled their homes and left most of their belongings behind to seek refuge at two United Nations bases … Continued
Wrestling is the most popular sport in South Sudan. Held in April 2016 in Juba, the National Wrestling Tournament was the first of its kind since the outbreak of civil war in 2013. It brought together four state teams from across South Sudan: they came from Terekeka, Bor, Torit and Yirol, with their coaches … Continued
Duration: 4min Year: 2018 Voice and Editing : Florence Miettaux Music : Orupaap Caesar Mayen Italian translation: Claudia Galal
Parallels can be drawn between the history of (higher) education and a history of subordination, colonialism and conflict in what is contemporarily known as South Sudan. Successive regimes, both foreign and domestic, purposely impeded the development of educational systems in South Sudan and the minimum of education provided by Christian missionaries, the Anglo-Egyptian colonial administration … Continued
“You cannot establish your state [nation] without your past” states Youssef Fulgensio Onyalla, the Assistant Director for Archives at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport, as he narrates the history of the National Archives of South Sudan. A sentiment that carries multiple, sometimes contrasting interpretations. We meet him in an indistinct residential building in … Continued
The geographical centre of Juba harbours the grave of John Garang de Mabior, the late leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and first Vice-President of post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) Sudan. On July 30, 2005, Garang dies in a helicopter crash in the mountains close to his military headquarters while returning from a meeting … Continued
Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen Hassan Voice of Mary: Alice Oleya Jino Music: Caesar … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 10 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 9 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen … Continued
After conflict broke out in December 2013, we lost track of Angelina Juang and her colleagues who were collecting plastic bottles dumped on the streets of Juba. The NGO Juba Recycles, which used to buy the plastic bottles from them, shut down its activity in the weeks that followed the start of fighting. Months into … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 7 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 6 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 5.2 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen Hassan … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 5 (Bonus 1) here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha … Continued
Watch Story Of Mary: Part 5 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen Hassan … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 4 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen Hassan … Continued
Watch Story of Mary: Part 3 here. Production: Juba In The Making Year: 2013 (filming), 2016 (release) Total duration: 52 min Based on an idea by Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Research: Gabriela Jacomella and Florence Miettaux Camera Operator, Editor and Director: Florence Miettaux With the participation of: Makur Jacob Akuei, Baha Eldeen Hassan … Continued
When the Juba In The Making project started, back in 2013, there wasn’t a civil war on going in South Sudan. Rather, the country still enjoyed its status of “newest country in the world”, drawing sympathy and interest. We wanted to tell the stories of several characters “making the city” day by day, and building … Continued