By Akol Madut Ngong
The Kakwa Community in Juba on Saturday held their first ever cultural festival under the theme: “Culture is the root of our identity”
The event featured a number of events including traditional dancing, display of different types of foods and crops. It also featured performance from different Kakwa artists and comedy performance.
Addressing the Kakwa community, the Governor of Central Equatoria State who also hails from the Kakwa tribe, Emmanuel Adil Anthony, urged the community to embrace peace and unity.
“Let us build our culture within our communities especially Central Equatoria State and as the government, we will be able to support you, stand with you all the time to sustain love and prosperity to the entire citizens,” he said.
Adil further urged the Kakwa community to maintain their respective houses, particularly protecting the family which is the basic source of unity.
“These days, there are a lot of single parents with different cases, I am calling to all of you by all means to discourage the system of single parents,” he added.
In attendance was also the National Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Albino Bol Dhieu who was the Guest of Honor on behalf of the National Minister of Culture, Museum and Heritage Dr. Nadia Arop Dudi.
Dr. Albino told the Kakwa community to discourage hate.
“What we don’t want is tribalism, what we don’t want is sectionalism, what we don’t want is regionalism, just we want nationalism. We want a diversely culture in our country,” he urged.
“The cooperation of Kakwa community from Juba to Yei led SPLA to capture Yei town at that time and we have to remember a peaceful community particularly Kakwa who have the largest supporters of SPLM,” Bol said.
He said, “exhibiting your cultural value make the people of South Sudan and the world to be aware of who you are, to be aware of your culture to promote peace and peaceful co-existence and this is what South Sudan needs,” he concluded.
The National Minister of Environment and Forestry Josephine Naphon Kosmos urged Kakwa community to support peace.