First South Sudanese Female Pilot Honoured

Captain Aluel (left) posing with a friend at the luncheon [©Matata Safi]

The Ministry of Roads and Transport yesterday held a reception in honour of Captain Aluel James Bol, the first female pilot in the whole of Sudan

JUBA, 28 July 2011 – The Ministry of Roads and Transport yesterday held a reception in honour of Captain Aluel James Bol, the first female pilot in the whole of Sudan.

Speaking at the luncheon held at the “Home and Away” hotel in Juba, the caretaker minister for Roads and Transport Hon Anthony Lino Makana said that Captain Aluel, who currently flies Air Ethiopia, has set a good example for all young women in the Republic of South Sudan.

Hon Makana also said that Captian Aluel, an employee of the Ministry, is helping South Sudan to negotiate for direct flights to Juba from Dubai and other cities in the world. He also said that she has been instrumental in initiatives to ensure airport security all over South Sudan.

“Women can no longer be restricted to the kitchen; they are flying high and even the sky is not the limit”, Hon Makana asserted.

The caretaker Minister for Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Hon Agnes Kwaje advised girls not to rush into early marriages but to pursue education and career development before starting families. She also appealed to families all over South Sudan to support the girl-child to enable them compete favourably with their male counterparts for opportunities in life.

Hon. Kwaje encouraged girls to emulate the good example set by Captain Aluel. “If Aluel who is an orphan can make it, every other girl in South Sudan can make it too,” she said. She commended Captain Aluel for demonstrating that it is possible to excel in spite of one’s background. “You are the pride of South Sudan,” she said.

Speaking at the same event, the Governor of Lakes State Engineer Chol Tong said that women in the State have a history of venturing in fields perceived to be reserved for men. He cited the example of the late Ager Gum who was the first female SPLA Commander who hailed from his State. He cautioned girls not to make excuses for mediocre performance but to work hard and excel just like boys.

Engineer Chol reported that Lakes State pays school fees for deserving girls. He called upon other States’ Governments as well as the central government to do likewise. He also called on all South Sudanese to stop negative traditions that discriminate the girls. “We should be courageous enough and condemn these harmful traditions and the people who perpetuate them”, he said.

Professor Isaac Riak, an uncle to Captain Aluel, described her as a curious, intelligent and disciplined girl who was destined to be an achiever. He also commended her for returning to serve her motherland. He said that it is through such acts of patriotism that the new Republic can grow. He expressed confidence that the new country will soon have its own airlines and that Captain Aluel will fly them.

Captain Aluel, who hails from Lakes State, is the daughter of the late Justice James Bol. She was overwhelmed by the gesture and was unable to say much. She obtained her aviation training from the United States of America through the support of the then Government of South Sudan via the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare.

The event was also attended by Hon Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Caretaker Minister for Information as well as Hon Kosti Manibe, the Caretaker Minister for Cabinet Affairs. Senior officers from the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the SPLM and other Government agencies also attended the luncheon.

Source: www.goss.org

(Not) Mapping South Sudan: A Lesson Learned?

July 28, 2011 – 11:22am | admin

(This article was originally published in The Mantle.)

By Jake Perry

On July 9^th Africa’s largest country, Sudan, split into two new states, Sudan and South Sudan. After fighting for the majority of the country’s history, the mostly Islamic North and the multicultural/Christian South finally agreed to divide—thanks to 99% of the Sudan voters agreeing to separation. Now, as they say, comes the hard part for both countries: constitution re/writing, government creation/rearranging, division of resources like water and oil, launching new currencies, the handling of citizenship rights, and, of course, establishing new borders. And while I’ll leave the commentary and analysis of these super-crucial issues to more experienced and knowledgeable voices, I would like to propose that there is now one more box to check when creating a new state: get on Google Maps.

As of this writing, South Sudan is not shown on Google Maps. If you query “South Sudan” over at Bing’s map service, embarrassingly the little orange push-pin lands somewhere in Niger, three countries away—and Sudan is still as huge and singular as it ever was, cartographically speaking. Over the course of July, some have pointed this out. And recently, South Sudan has made its way onto Google Earth, maybe meaning that Google and Microsoft public mapping services aren’t too far behind in showing Africa’s 54^th state. Either way, many are wondering the reason for the hold-up.

The easiest answer to the lack of South Sudan on these maps is that Microsoft and Google are waiting for the final word, in a sense. The situation between Sudan and South Sudan is ever-changing and no official border has yet been established. A Google spokeswoman said in a recent post: “We are following the situation in South Sudan and…we aren’t able to specify when the update to these borders will be made, as the changes are often dependent on a variety of factors such as provider data availability and our system update schedule.” Fair enough. Data is needed. But here’s why it’s a good thing these two behemoths are waiting it out:

– In August 2009, during a system update, Google India’s mapping service accidently showed parts and of India’s Arunachal Pradesh as Chinesecontrolled—a region recognized by the world as India’s—even labeling cities in the incorrect language. Google later apologized.

– February 2010, Google fudges the border between Cambodia andThailand on a portion of land that has been hotly contested for decades, militarily since 2007. Cambodia calls Google “professionally irresponsible.” Months later, Google fixes things.

– November 2010, Nicaraguan forces conducting a military exercise along it’s border effectively invaded Costa Rica and took down that country’s flag and replaced it with its own. Why? Because the Nicaraguan army officer was using Google Maps and the area in question was shown to belong to Nicaragua instead of Costa Rica. Costa Rica, lacking an army, wanted Google to announce the error and fix the map; Nicaragua wanted Google to do nothing. Google blamed the U.S. State Department and their data. (Also, Bing had the borders correct).

So these companies should by now understand that how they map the world has a political impact—waiting for the correct info is a great sign given these pervious disputes. Especially as the accessibility to these services approaches the universal.

But, still, it’s hard to hear Google and Microsoft claim, once again, that it is all about the data. What’s happening in the north of South Sudan and the south of Sudan is not data. It’s divorce and independence; it’s a new home and a new take on the Sudanese citizen, whoever s/he may be versus who they may become. Country boundaries are always in flux, always disagreed upon—but also play a role in that nation’s sense of self, of community, of history. Like a flag, the shape of a state is recognized and meaningful, inspires pride and/or hate, and will be blindly defended. So, again, it’s good to see Google and Microsoft be patient with this latest change to the world map.

What is interesting, and maybe not-so-great is the need “we” (speaking of the general, Western, Internet-using audience) have for these private, data-mongering Internet companies to recognize these newly-minted countries. The UN has, the World Bank has—why not Bing Maps? Leaving aside the implications of a public waiting to be told what’s geopolitically legit by a company like Google, it could be that this latest South Sudan mapping absence is showing two things: Internet mapping services are being more and more referenced and depended upon to reflect the actual world (which they may never be able to do) and map servicers like Google and Microsoft are beginning to learn that while the lines they’re drawing are literally invisible, the implications of these lines is all too real. Hopefully a lesson learned.

*****

Jake Perry is a regular contributor to The Mantle.

African Union admits South Sudan as 54th member

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – The African Union admitted South Sudan as its 54th member after the new African country proclaimed independence from Sudan on July 9 following decades of conflict, the AU said.

South Sudan is one of the world’s poorest nations and has inherited a string of disputes with its northern neighbour after its people voted in a January referendum to break away from Sudan — a decision accepted by Khartoum.

Representatives of the two countries are expected to resume AU-mediated talks next week on solving outstanding issues such as citizenship and oil revenue-sharing.

The Addis Ababa-based AU said late on Wednesday it had received more than the required majority votes to admit South Sudan as a member following a referendum held under the terms of a 2005 peace deal that ended a 20-year war between north and south Sudan in which more than 2 million people died.

The AU said it will hold a flag-raising ceremony to mark the membership of its newest constituent. The bloc’s last entrant was Eritrea in 1993 after it split from Ethiopia following a 30-year war for independence.

The General Assembly admitted South Sudan on July 14 as the 193rd member of the United Nations.