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By Julius N. Uma
December 15, 2010 (JUBA) - A three-day peace, leadership and change conference, organized by Southern Sudanese youth is scheduled to take place from December 20-22 in the regional capital Juba.
According to the organizers, the event at Nyakuron cultural center, will seek to unite all the youth from across southern Sudan and create a platform for dialogue among the various communities in the semi-autonomous region.
The ‘Sudanese Summit’ is a culmination of a similar event, which was held Nairobi, Kenya about a month ago. The Nairobi event attracted guest speakers such as Rev. Tom Prichard who co-founded the US-based Sudan Sunrise and Ishmael Beah, a renowned Sierra Leone writer and activist.
Nyadol Nyuon, one of the organizers of the conference told journalists on Tuesday that there is need to involve youth in national processes, such as the region’s independence referendum in January, as they will be the next generation of southern Sudanese leaders.
“The Sudanese summit aims to ensure that our young people, and fellow brothers and sisters are committed to peace and change through responsible action,” said Nyuon, who recently returned to South Sudan from the Diaspora to register for the referendum.
Ayuen Kur, co-Director of My Referendum for Freedom (MRF), lauded the Sudanese summit initiative, saying it is being held a time when the youth are expected to join the rest of the population participating in the referendum, which most observers believe will result in the south’s secession from the north.
The referendum, due on January 9, 2011 is a key part of Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended over two decades of a bloody civil war between the north and south of the country.
Lam Tungwar, the Chairperson of Southern Artists Association (SSAA) further underscored the fundamental roles the youth play in nation-building processes and urged Southern Sudanese youths to consider the issue of national identity as being at the forefront of their destiny.
Next week’s conference, according to the organizers, will also provide an avenue for youth to increase their participation in decision-making and become agents of change.
As such, the conference will reportedly involve dialogues, music and arts to change hearts and minds to avoid a resurgence of conflict before and beyond the 2011 referendum.
SUDANESE SUMMIT
Started nearly a year ago, Sudanese summit is an initiative spearheaded by Sudanese artist Emmanuel Jal, Ger Duany, athlete Lopez Lomong, and David Vincent Nyuol, all of whom are former “Lost Boys”, who were displaced and had to walk for hundreds of miles to find safety during the civil war.
The summit is described as a dynamic symposium established to build grassroots leadership, strengthen Sudanese civil society, and support peace and stability in Sudan.
(ST)
Emmanuel Jal - We Want Peace Official Music Video feat Alicia Keys, George Clooney, Peter Gabriel
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