South Sudan: UN-Supported Cultural Festival Unites
Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed
A multicultural gathering in Yambio, South Sudan, brought together several hundreds of local communities featuring representatives from nine ethic groups residing in the area. Demonstrating that culture can be trusted to be the cradle for peace and unity in diversity, was very much the objective when UNMISS and local partners, including the state’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, decided to organize the festival.
UNMISS, affirmed this is one step towards building durable and sustainable peace among communities who have experienced one crisis after the other.
According to Emmanuel Dukundane, Civil Affairs Officer, UNMISS:
“This function is to show our differences, our variety, our diversity in terms of culture, and the purpose is to be happy. And through that happiness we can promote social cohesion; we can know each other more, we can appreciate each other more, and forget about the past challenges.”
Whistles, vuvuzelas, drums, and xylophones were just some of the items used to create a mixed soundtrack of robust and dance-inducing rhythms that brought revellers together as one.
