Tribute To Pan-Africanist
Deng Ajack

A year after Sudden Departure
The late Deng Ajack-Juba-April 21, 2007

By: Mahmoud E. Yousif

yousif_474@yahoo.com/

On May 2, 2009 Africa lost one of it is greatest Pan Africanist, strategists, and a humanists lost for the world, a talent person who seeks justice beyond personal and tribal boundaries and for all.

In the evening of that fatal day, after announcing death of both Lt. Gen Dominic Dim Deng and Dr. Justin Yac Arop and their wives in a press conference, the First Vice President and President of GOOS, then said, and Deng Ajack of Kush Institute, all of whom you know.

Yes everybody knows him, from different perspectives and angles, and in relation to certain level of understanding, but most people in Juba knows him as an ideal person who is not materialistic, or even as described by the South Sudan Post, he was thought to be “an Enigma” (April 2008, addition), I can add, in such environment he may resemble Mustafa Saied, the main figure in the master piece of late famous Sudanese writer, Al Tayeb Saleh book, the Season of Migration to the North, and how people look to him whenever he closed that private room for himself in rural Northern Sudan village, thus in this context what is the level at which Deng measure people?

I first met Deng Ajack in a preparatory Civil Societies meeting, in Nairobi around August 2004, he admired certain statements and suggestions made by me, and when finally we left alone with Mr. Yoanes Akol and someone else, and after introduction and discussion, he invited me to join the Board of Trustee of Kush Foundation, giving his contacts, unfortunately I failed to contact him. Busy travelling up and down till mid 2005, I nearly forgot the issue till we met again, and it was too late, so none of us opened it again, but till early 2006, I used to ask myself what type of people Deng is, each time discovering noble aspects of his characteristics, always leaving strong impression and impact, in different issues we talked. He was not the type who’s is preaching with certain program, rather he help one better understand related issues, whenever we deepened in certain field, he either gave me certain paper, sending me article through e-mail or introduced me to writing of certain writers, like Opoku Agyeman.

For Deng, Pan-Africanism is the destiny for unity of Sudanese people in order to come into term with distorted history, and that the aspirations of Sudanese people to establish a nation, was denied by the British few years after the conquest of 1897 (partly conveyed to him by his Grandfather). In that regard, he possessed great amount of knowledge regarding the background of Sudanese conflict, unfortunately he was not properly understood by some who could have allowed him to early implement some visions.

To better understand who Deng Ajack was, one need to imagine what Quantum Mechanics represents for present level of knowledge and Civilization (with my personal preservation in that), he did a Master degree in that! He went further, by acquiring master degree in Strategically Analysis! And above all the vision towards African renaissance, or Kush Institute, he was well known in UK defending Sudanese and African cause, and above all the participation towards the progress of Humanity.

In early months of 2006, Deng became frustrated with certain aspects, and discussed with me and others his intention to move to fight in Darfur, as he believed Darfur is the key for Sudan different problems, the signing of Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), wrangles within Darfurians Movements and the reconciliation he managed to achieve with local politics brought him some form of internal stability, where Kush Institute was registered in early 2007, he started with some African researchers (like Mr. Bankie Forster Bankie), but he never forgot Darfur and it is people, he was looking to it and approaching the problem from broader perspective.

Deng Ajack was one of those whom I used to avoid when I am in hurry, because we may spent hours without realizing and still eager to continue, he gave the sense of extension. I remember around early April 2008, while in his room at South Sudan Hotel in Juba, we spent nearly two hours talking, although my intention was just consultation, later I accompanied him to Custom Market, walking (he never possessed vehicle in Juba!) to change two Chinese Mobiles which he bought to his colleagues, I realized Deng was trying to institute new values through various hardship. That day, he told me how his people in Awil convinced him to stand for the SPLM root election and he won that process, busy with my own loads, I didn’t continued analyzing in that path, but later realizing what a lost to North Bahar Gazal!

Strangely enough, on April 26, 2008, I was emerging from the GOSS Secret rate, when I saw Deng Ajack, on my way towards him, I stopped to great Dr. Justin Yaak, whom I never met since March 2007, when he returned from treatment in South Africa, then I went to Deng. He told me he wants to see me, I promised a visit, when I saw Modawi Khair Alla coming towards us, long time we never met, a dedicated journalist, who changed to Sudan TV from Blue Nile TV, a charming man we first met in Nairobi in 2005, then twice in New Site. After introducing them to each others, Mudawi told me he came to Juba for an air interview with First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit on the start of the census, and he wants to have two persons whom may call for comments and intervention. I told him you are in front of the right person for that, Deng insisted I am to be the second person, but I apologized, I left them to coordinate, as someone was waiting for me, I left and that was my last time to see brother Deng Ajack, and I will never be able to speculate what he wants me for, because

The tigers come at night
As they tear your hopes apart
……
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather… [1]

After four days, on April 30, 2008, I was called together with Altahir Bior to meet First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit, each to bring four of our followers, it was a day, for a total period of five and half hours a lot was said, revealed and became known! In the beginning, I said, this day will become historical day! At 6:30 P.M. it became late, when we were asked by the First Vice President to come back on Friday May 2nd, 2008 (following day was labor day), at 3:00 PM, because he have the Cabinet meeting in the morning, so to come after Juma Prayer at three, for his final decision regarding chairmanship of New Sudan Islamic Council (NSIC).

On the Labor Day, which separating us from the D-Day, several people called, even one of the opponent, with intimate relation, called and asked to have a meeting because such things cannot be said in telephone! I refused any attempt, simply because it is an issue of principles and values rather than interests, and above all re-shaping the world need to be started somewhere. They were frustrated and depressed from H.E. Salva Kiir reactions in the meeting, and everybody knows what the decision will be.

The 2nd of May 2008 was not a simple day, it was a day that may determine many factors and relations, and above all the establish for the first time the Human Islam, which may challenge all the wrongs done in the name of Islam and give justification to the long march of struggles and sacrifices of Sudanese People.

At midday of May 2, 2008, a friend called telling me that Salva didn’t show up since morning, but we decided to go. At 3:10 we were at Vice President office, but were informed he didn’t come to the office. Returning to the town, and after ten minutes a friend told me that, BBC broadcasted that an aircraft carrying Southerners Ministers had crashed, and around 6:00 PM another SMS message from Nairobi enquiring whether Deng Ajack is in that aircraft?

I couldn’t believe that hopping it is just rumor, till I saw and heard the press conference of Vice President, mentioning Deng Ajack of Kush institute, whom all of you know. It was an awful night, simply because I lost another brother whom I will not meet again, he went like Yousif Kuwa and like Dr. John Garang at the pick, when they were to establish experience and gained knowledge for people advancement. It seems our unknown history [2] is forcing some to decide drastic choice, but can people fled it is destiny?

I thought a lot about that accident, is it criminal act or God wishes? As a believer, even if it is a crime, but God wants things to be as the fate had moved, but for sure the enigma that need to be resolved, is the conditions surrounding and lead to that air crash!

To Sarah, the daughter of our friend Deng Ajack and his wife Dr. Kegi, to them, his relative, friends and Pan-Africanists, in this first anniversary for departure of Struggler, who had many dreams to Africa and his country Sudan, we saw some were fulfilled, while others are fructify, his struggle was not in vain, consequently it is the life cycle, greetings to his soul, and let it dub in peace.

Mahmoud E. Yousif

April 24, 2009

yousif_474@yahoo.com/

http://www.darfurna.com

http://www.exmfpropulsions.com/

Reference:

1-      “I dreamed a dream from Les Miserables”

Susan Boyle’s story-The beauty that matters is always on the inside
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2501746.0.The_beauty_that_matters_is_always_on_the_inside.php

Or: Uplifting performance from Britain’s Got Talent: Enjoy
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=9lp0IWv8QZY

2-      Dr. Ahmad Alawad Sikainga, Slaves Into Workers: Emancipation and Labor in Colonial Sudan, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996.