Cultural aspects relating to the South Sudanese refugee interviews

I had a couple of very interesting conversations last week, as relating to my PhD interviews, but with regard to cultural practices and traditions of South Sudan, especially as pertaining to the position of women.

In each conversation they spoke of how, in South Sudanese culture, the main role of the women is that of production. Production of babies, production of food, and then caring the children. There is no need for them to be educated, as you don’t need to educate someone who is primarily there to produce children and grow the food. The men’s key role is to protect the family, the land and their tribe. Some of the men do have a job, but it would predominantly be running a business, or working in an office etc, not anything that involves working the soil.

I heard how, in many cases the women are almost treated like reproductive animals. They have no say in anything,  are not allowed to be involved in any decision making, even when it is with regard to their own personal issues. They often have no say in who they marry, and so can find themselves to be one of many wives to the same husband. They are often treated with very little respect and honour, if at all. Gender-based violence is a big issue and if they upset the husband then it is considered perfectly acceptable to beat the woman as much as he, and his fellow male relatives, think is appropriate. Given that the children are being raised in this culture, it is quite possible that the boys are raised to think the same way, so that the mother gets very little respect from her sons.

As mentioned above the girls rarely get any education. The older girls must stay home and look after the younger children, and in so doing get the training required to become mothers when they are married off to the man of their parents’ choice. The girls, and therefore women of South Sudan consequently tend to be illiterate and uneducated which has a bearing on their knowledge about many things, including their human rights.

This is all part of the background to the life that they leave when they flee from the war. Yes, they are fleeing from the bullets, and the rebels. They are fleeing from a land that is politically unstable, and where food security is hard to come by. But unknowingly they are leaving behind a very degrading and oppressive culture, and stepping into a society that shows more respect for women, where girls go to school, where men and women work together, where women can be leaders, and where the rights of women are respected.

The implications of this transition from the South Sudanese culture to the Ugandan culture is not insignificant. As the South Sudanese women start to see an alternative life being lived out by men and women in the host community, it opens their eyes to the reality of life back home. And that in turn can lead to feelings of discontent at the thought of returning to South Sudan if / when it becomes safe enough to do so. But at the same time, they are South Sudanese, they have a tribal heritage that is theirs, and there are family members who they have left behind.

For some women, the saying ‘blood is thicker than water’ might hold true, and, when the time is right, and things are safe enough, they may well return home. Maybe they have a husband who they love, who gives them some respect, who takes an interest in the children. Maybe they will hope that they can have a good conversation with their husband and open his mind to letting her have a bit more freedom.

But for other women, who are from abusive, oppressed marriages, where the move to Uganda has sparked a new way of thinking, a new hope for her future, a relief from the beatings and abuse at home – for these women, returning to South Sudan might not be such a straightforward move. 

Each individual will have to work out in her own way, based on her own situation and circumstances. I pray that each has the courage to be able to do what is right, and that each has the peace of knowing that the decision made is the right one for her and her family.

In my interviews, I am asking the women how they make sense of wellbeing against the background of having to flee from the war. As I think about the kinds of lives, and people, that they left behind, it highlights that nothing is that straightforward, and that the multi-faceted, overlapping aspects of life, tradition and culture will all weave an interesting web for me to navigate.