CARLIE COATES

     The oral history I chose to read was Achol Mayuol’s (pages 149-159.)  Within these ten pages, I was able to follow the path Achol bravely walked without choice.  Her story began in Marial Bai, South Sudan during 1980.  Born into a wealthy family, Achol was just like any other little girl during that time, until a war struck her village.  From ages three to six, Achol witnessed numerous attacks on her hometown prior to being relocated to live with her grandmother near a Government of Sudan military post.  This is when her life changed.

     Once the war reached the military post, Achol was captured, forced to walk for days, witnessed the murders of her friends, and asked to forget her native culture, Dinka.  Achol states “for six days people came to buy us, divide us.  They were buying and selling cattle at the same location.  We were the same as cattle” (151.)  Achol was purchased by Abdul Karin Mohammed, a man who had two wives, nineteen children, and eight child slaves.  With slavery came the forceful obligation to learn the Koran, study Islamic ways, and “undergo different rites of passage than the Dinka ways, including genital mutilation” (152). 

     When slaves remain with the same master for ten years, many commit suicide.  Achol did not.  Instead, she remained strong until the age of sixteen.  Once Achol had reached the prime age of marriage, she was sold to a sixty year old man named Akil.  She was not treated well, but she was not treated like a slave.  With this man, Achol had four children.  After the fourth child, Akil treated the family with visit to a nearby town for a family portrait.  Once in town, many Dinka men recognized Achol and asked why she was being held captive.  Akil immediately knew he was in trouble and tried to leave.  After a judge ruled in Achol’s favor, she was able to keep her children and return to her hometown of Marial Bai.  Achol had to learn Dinka again and readjust to a culture she was forced to forget.

     The war between Sudan and South Sudan roughly ended in 2005 and South Sudan became an independent country in 2011.  Between these six years, South Sudan has faced numerous challenges to regain the footing it lost.  By reading Achol’s story, a personal perspective is gained as one can truly learn about the unfortunate events that took place behind closed doors.  I remember watching the news and hearing how bad the war was, but it did not tell of child slavery or the forcing people to study Islamic ways.  Instead, it only showed statistics: deaths, shootings, bombs.  This oral history captures the life of a girl who grew up as a slave in the midst of a warzone.  Without this story, I would not have considered the wars impact on Achol’s life and the life of other child slaves.  I would have only known media coverage and Achol’s story is worth sharing and capturing to remember the impact a war can have.