The Republic of South Sudan Media Missions
History is being made on July 9, 2011 when the world’s newest nation is born. The Republic of South Sudan becomes an independent nation. This comes six years after a peace deal ended a two-decade war between Sudan’s north (mostly Muslim) and Sudan’s south (mostly Christians). They battled over their differences of ideology, religion, and ethnicity. Two million people died and more than four million fled their homes when the Sudanese Army fought southern resistance groups from 1983 to 2005. During the conflict many of the Sudanese fled seeking refuge in neighboring countries because of religious or tribal persecution. Because of the long war there is a general lack of education. Nine out of ten people cannot read or write. Illiteracy is a going to play a big roll in the lack of social media in this new country. The other challenges that they are facing is the water supply and their intermittent electricity. Electricity is available in some of the larger towns in Sudan but that can only be afforded by the wealthy and the United Nation agencies that are stationed there. Rural areas and smaller villages are made up of almost all straw-roofed mud huts. This presents a huge problem for the state of media in the Republic of South Sudan. New media or social networks are far from taking hold. Mobile phone usage is growing but illiteracy limits the range of options available to both the consumer and the provider. Cell phone companies like Vivacelll are coming out with new ways around this problem. They are trying out a service that allows consumers to “speak” a text message into the handset, which will then deliver the message in text format. The only problem is that the recepient must be able to read. Vivacell projects to have one million subscribers by the end of 2011. This is because after the country has become a republic in July, many of the exiles will return back to their homeland. They will be looking for the three essential things in Sudan: water, electricity, and a way of communication. In March, 2011 the United Nations was still looking for Internet services for the Republic of South Sudan. Only the future will reveal what is in store for the Republic of South Sudan. Will it’s problems of illiteracy be dealt with? will peace remain? will this nation rise from the ashes of persecution and affliction and become a strong Christian nation? Only time will tell but one thing is for sure; they are free!! God has heard their cries, seen their afflictions and He has answered. Let us pray for this new nation, for God to send labourers into the field to not only help them with their spiritual needs but also their physical needs as well. It seems like a daunting task but with God all things are possible.
written by: Tracy Martin
