01 June 2019

A tale of two Sudans

The people of both Sudan and South Sudan are experiencing grave uncertainties about the possibilities of freedom, democracy and peace. This article was first published in the May-June 2019 issue of NewsNotes.

When the price of bread increased 300 percent in December 2018, the people of the city of Atbara took to the streets of this midsized town in Sudan. The energy of their protests spread throughout the country and grew into a nationwide movement that brought down the government of Omar al-Bashir on April 11. 

Bashir had taken power over Sudan in a military coup in 1989. He has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in directing crimes against humanity including rape and torture, war crimes, and genocide that allegedly occurred in the Darfur region during his three decades of rule. He is currently being held in Kober prison in Sudan and the military says it will not extradite him to the ICC. Bashir will be tried in Sudan. 

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) has led this peaceful uprising, calling for freedom, democracy, and peace. Numerous religious and ethnic groups have united in ongoing peaceful demonstrations. The protesters demand a transitional civilian council to lead the country, with limited military representation and an interim Cabinet to oversee the drafting of a new constitution. The Military Transitional Council insists it will maintain power over a civilian Prime Minister and Cabinet until elections are held.

Before the coup, the SPA encouraged members of all faiths to join the protests. Sudan’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but Islamic law is the state religion. Non-Muslims were often harassed and restricted by the National Intelligence Service. The day after the coup, during Friday prayers for Muslims, Christians stood arm-in-arm to protect Muslims from the security forces while they were praying.

Women leading the movement in Sudan

Women have played a prominent role in the uprising. Referred to as kandakas, the queens of ancient Sudan, one woman has emerged as the face of the movement. Alaa Salah, a Sudanese student and protester, has become known as the "Woman in White" or "Lady Liberty" of Sudan after a local photographer captured her dancing on the top of a car in the capital of Khartoum while surrounded by a sea of protesters, with her arm raised in the air, finger pointed toward the sky and singing a Sudanese poem about how silence kills. The photo has since gone viral on Twitter. 

Image: Alaa Salah, a Sudanese student, standing on a car in the 2018–19 Sudanese protests. The image went viral as a symbol of the protests. Photo by Lana H. Haroun and licensed under Fair Use.

Salah has told reporters she rejects this notoriety and that the Sudanese people, especially those who have died, been injured or detained, are the true icon of the revolution. The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) has voiced their support, calling for equal citizenship, equal access to resources, the removal of laws that discriminate against women and platforms in the transitional government to develop family law based on the rights of women and children.

Deadline approaching for new unity government in South Sudan

Bashir was a guarantor for the peace agreement in Sudan’s southern neighbor, South Sudan, brokered in 2018, to end the civil war that began in 2015. The agreement stipulates that a unity government would be formed in South Sudan by President Salva Kiir and former first Vice President Riek Machar by May 12, 2019. In April, both Kiir and Machar were invited to the Vatican for a two-day spiritual retreat meant to foster peace. At the end of the retreat, Pope Francis begged the men to set aside their differences and bring peace to South Sudan. “I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace. I am asking you with my heart, let us go forward,” the pope said. Breaking papal protocol, he knelt and kissed their feet in a humble gesture of respect. 

However, Machar has stated that he is unable to form a unity government by this date and threatened to pull out of the accord entirely. He demands a six-month extension which has been agreed. 

Increasingly, it appears that this agreement addresses issues important to a limited number of warlords and even fails in that sphere. The border between Sudan and South Sudan has benefited from mutual trade for two years and a weakened government in Sudan will not be able to stop this. The mass demonstrations in Sudan are absent in South Sudan, where people have even more reason to demonstrate. The South Sudanese function at the level of survival and the secret service is greatly feared and ruthless. Losing Bashir as a guarantor of the revitalized peace agreement seems irrelevant.

Meanwhile, there is serious concern that South Sudan could return to civil war where over 50,000 have died, one millions are refugees and two million are displaced inside South Sudan.  

In Sudan, the military is refusing to allow civilians to hold a majority on the Transitional Sovereign Council.  The protesters have just completed two days of strikes hoping to pressure the military to relent.  Will they?

PEACE OF THESE NONVIOLENT CIVILIAN PROTESTERS TO YOU!!

01 May 2019

CONDOLENCES

     Last Sunday, Mom and I went to Mass at our pairsh, St. Patrick's church, and we had visitors from the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center.  They are our neighbors just up the road and they came to give our parish condolences for the attacks on three churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

     That same morning, we awoke to the news that there had been an attack on a synagogue in California.  Two were injured and one woman was killed, trying to shield the rabbi.

     Last year, when I was still living in Mombasa, I was regularly checked for weapons before entering the Cathedral, post office, grocery store, etc.  It hasn't come to that in Urbana Illinois...yet.

     So together we all prayed for one another.

PEACE OF THE RISEN CHRIST AND JOY-FILLED EASTERTIDE TO YOU

03 April 2019

HOLY CROSS SCHOOL - CHAMPAIGN

     I didn't think I would continue writing on this blog but it seems that I still have a few things to say.

     As you can see, these girls are really interested in what I was saying that day!  All of the fourth to eighth grade classes were engaged and when I asked how many countries there are on the continent of Africa several raised their hands and correctly said 54.  I was amazed they knew the answer.  They have a great teacher and they listened to her.

     I have just written this piece below that others in Maryknoll seem to think has something to say.  So I thought I would put it up and share it with you.

PEACE OF THE TENDER HEART TO YOU

WHAT THE HEART SEES

Dark eyes squinted out from his swarthy complexion, and he looked angry. But he didn’t see well. Omar was born with cataracts 14 years ago and struggled to see my face. I would soon learn that the vision his eyes failed him was sharpened by his heart and soul.

He had fled the war in Yemen in 2015 with his parents and brother. As a missioner in East Africa, I had seen many boys his age run for their lives. The Lost Boys of Sudan trekked from their homes to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and down into Kenya. Whole families fled election violence in Kenya in 2008. Today whole families in Central America are running to El Paso and other border crossings in the USA in desperation.

None of them really wanted to leave their home.

Omar explained the intricacies of Saudi Arabia and Houthie rebels, but I didn’t really understand. What was clear to my unimpeded vision was a piercing pain that was hard to articulate. When I asked his brother what he missed most about Yemen he said “EVERYTHING” and walked away.

But Omar didn’t walk away. He could see through the haze that I was interested in his story, and when he heard my question, he trustingly replied. He missed everything, too. He wanted to go back home but knew he couldn’t. None of his cousins knew how much his heart ached. I did, and I assured him he would go back home one day; but not for many years to come.

I left Omar in Mombasa, Kenya, in the middle of 2018. I now live in a comfortable house where all the appliances work and drivers of mostly new vehicles follow the rules of the road. There are no more throngs of needy people in my medical clinics or lonely boys living downstairs. I take my mother’s little Shih tzu to the vet and watch person after person swipe their credit card for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to keep their beloved companions well. My remembering eyes cringe at what they are seeing.

In 2016, I asked Omar if he had heard about the many families in Central America who were fleeing their countries to try to find a better life in the USA. He had. He was smart, inquisitive, and the radio and TV downstairs provided some truth on the BBC and Al Jazeera.

In Illinois, I now struggle to find the truth of what is happening outside the USA. We have plenty of cable options, but you have to look hard, with wide-open eyes and ears, to find much of anything concerning the continent of Africa. Many people in my new-old hometown refer to Africa as a country. I close my eyes and see 54 countries with 1,500 languages.

Today I received an email from Heidi, our spunky Maryknoll Lay Missioner lawyer who has settled into El Paso, Texas. She is a reliable news source working with immigration law for the ever-increasing numbers of desperate families fleeing horrible violence. They number in the hundreds each day and hope for a safe place where they can work. U.S. government leaders, and their constituents, want to build more walls. More immediately, they threaten to close the border.

In 1992 bedraggled Sudanese followed the Nile from Sudan across the border into Uganda to escape war. We missioners moved with them and saw with our own eyes the misery and destitution of people on the move. But, this time they moved their bodies and meager belongings across a border and left their national home. In 2017 South Sudanese refugees to Uganda numbered more than 2,000 each day. Uganda never closed her border and that year welcomed 1.4 million refugees--ten times more than the USA during that same temporal window.

Shortly after I met Omar I saw him and his brother standing with their mother, Asha, on a street corner. They were in their own little world, hunched over their phone, busy talking to a friend. I passed by quietly. A few minutes later I felt an arm around my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Asha smiling broadly with a big SALAMU. I snaked my arm around her waist over her black veil and gown. I wore a T-shirt with Oscar Romero’s picture on it. The boys walked behind us as we sauntered arm in arm, catching up on our lives. For that brief stroll I no longer felt I was the white foreigner that attracted privilege. I felt like I belonged to them. We respected each other’s faith and believed in the same God. We knew that love was the force that made our arms encircle one another.

Heidi is begging for volunteers to come help with the ever-growing movement of humanity that requires more than her legal expertise. I remember my conversation with Omar about the same movement some years back. He understood why those people had left their homes. He could imagine what it felt like to travel very far only to be told, “You have to wait on that side of the river.” He had looked up at me and whispered, “There would be enough room for everyone if we would just make room in our hearts.” His heart had crystal clear vision.

I looked into those dark, cataract-damaged eyes and asked myself, “Which one of us is the missioner?”

01 February 2019

WINTER WONDERLAND URBANA ILLINOIS

UNEXPECTED POST

     I had assumed that I would no longer continue this blog as I am no longer working in Kenya.  This picture of Illinois captures the starkness of the brutal winter we are experiencing with the polar vortex this week.  Our record temperatures have hit -13F (-25C) with a wind chill of -43F (-43C).  I dream of sweating in Mombasa!

     But the topic of this piece is a friend who is hospitalized in Nairobi with a serious illness. He had told me the day of his surgery and the plan of treatment.  At 10pm in Urbana (7am in Nairobi) I sent him a text message on the day of the surgery.  He replied that he was trying to understand what the doctor had just told him at 5:30am.   The doctor had decided to do a different procedure which was much more extensive.  I was shocked.  I asked several questions and he didn't know the answers which should have been clearly explained.  He had several serious health problems and all were well known when the plan was made.  I was aghast that a doctor could just walk in to a groggy, frightened patient and brusquely make such a major change.  I told him I would call him back.

    At 10pm at night I had only one person who could help me with an urgent bit of advice.  My sister is a specialty nurse and luckily she answered her phone.  When I presented the case to her she was more shocked than I and started a barrage of questions and vehement concern.  She is the mother of five children but any person with this problem is like one of her own.  She was adamant that the change in procedure would cause more harm than good.

     Next. I phoned one of our lay missioner doctors who was with my friend and we discussed the scenario.  I knew the Kenyan health system and she was on the ground and about to learn a lot more.  She brilliantly took the bull by the horns and was able to find enough evidence to convince the surgeon to return to his original plan and do some extra testing as well.   

     The surgery went well and the treatment plan has progressed with my friend recovering well. There are three important points to make:

1. Even with the finest hospital in Nairobi and well trained physicians it is necessary to follow and scrutinize a patient's care and advocate for evidenced based medicine.

2. The use of What's App, which is free, and a simple text message of support and concern can assist with the care of a person half way around the world.  This is globalization in the best sense of the word.

3. Most of the people in this world will never come close to even getting a correct diagnosis let alone a good treatment plan.  Most of the people in our world with this condition will simply die a long and painful death.

     I am amazed that I am still able to 'practice' medicine and make a difference from half way around the world.

PEACE OF THE NOW GENTLY FALLING SNOWFLAKES TO YOU

01 January 2019

Susan with Mom and Jean at Thanksgiving 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019

     It is the last hours of 2018 and I have just received three letters. 

     The first is from a friend in college who is a doctor in Appalachia.  Her father just died of prostate cancer.  

     The second is from an Irish friend in Dublin who is being treated for cancer of the esophagus.

     The third is from a high school friend who is married to an Egyptian and they are missionaries in Cyprus.  Their eldest son lives in Portugal and is marrying a Romanian woman.  The second sons live in Michigan with an American wife.  The third son lives in California and just married a Chinese American woman.

     I also received a video on What's App of the people in Bangladesh Informal Settlement Mombasa singing and dancing with joy to bring in the new year.

     This is the beauty of our world...rich in diversity and led by the Spirit.  I am at home and very happy working with Maryknoll Lay Missioners to tell our stories here in the USA.  Let us not become insular and think we have all the answers.  Let us open our hearts, make room for everyone and be blessed by the Spirit!!!

01 August 2018

MICHAEL, SUSAN, SUMMER, LENORE
AND THE TWINS

HOME SWEET HOME

     This is for those of you who have not heard that I have arrived safely back to our family home in Urbana, Illinois.  We celebrated our Independence Day on the 4th of July and many people who have seen this picture comment on how much I look like my mother.  I've spent the past month settling in and visiting around.  I just returned from lunch with my 99 year old aunt and godmother who still lives in her own home.  She is a wise woman.  I also went to Wisconsin to visit my 81 year old first grade teacher.  She is the youngest of the women I was able to spend time with at the Dominican Sisters.  They also are wise women.  Given the state of this country it is good to surround myself with wise people!
     Many people have mentioned how glad they are that I am home and out of harms way.  I had no idea that they were so concerned about my safety and paying attention to what little news would trickle out from wherever I happened to be.  It is a credit to my African friends that over all these years nothing terrible has happened to me.  I have been well taken care of for sure.

     Today I begin working as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner based in Illinois.  I will be doing Mission Education, Advancement, Medical Consultations and Medical Policy revisions all in support of our leadership team.  I will also provide some input into the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns.

     This first month has been very relaxed and enjoyable as I settle in.  I'm happy to be living with my mother and she feels the same.  The weather has been warm and sometimes hot and humid.  I am grateful for this summer season and know that transitioning to cold temperatures will be one of my biggest challenges. It is a pleasure to drive Mom around on good roads where people follow the rules for the most part.  My basic needs for electricity, water, security etc are met without any problem.  I walk around the neighborhood once or twice a day and don't stand out or attract hisses or cat calls.  The neighbors are friendly and welcoming.  Several have shared plants from their gardens to help me get our garden blooming with more greenery and flowers.

     Politics and bad governance are similar to the problems we had in Kenya.   I try to connect with the rest of the world through the BBC and our Public Broadcasting network.  It's hard to get much detail about Kenya except through friends who still live there.  But certainly that country, in particular, is in often in my thoughts and prayer.  I did see pictures of the total lunar eclipse throughout Africa and was envious I could not see it myself.  But we can clearly see Mars shining a bright red hue near the moon, closer than it has been to us in a long time.

     This will be my last blog post as I am no longer providing health care in Kenya.  I offer it mainly as a way to reassure Kenyans that I am remembering them and grateful for all that I shared over the past 33 years in East Africa.  I would like to keep in contact and plan to try to connect around Christmas time as a minimum.

PEACE OF THE MOONBEAMS AND SHINING STARS THAT CONNECT US!!! 

01 July 2018

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

     This picture was taken at Maryknoll NY in the autumn of 1984.  I was doing my orientation to go overseas and was 28 years old.  I came across it looking through some old files.  Quite a lot has happened between then and the next picture...

     Now I'm 62 and moving on from East Africa.  I've had so many parties, cakes and gifts this past month.  From left to right we are Heidi Cerneka, me, Mike Garr, Kathy Flatoff and Coralis Salvador.  (Gabe Hurrish is slaving away in S Sudan and couldn't be with us).  We had a big party at my flat to welcome Mike and Kathy and say farewell to me.  About thirty people came and I was so grateful to be able to say goodbye well.

     This simple note is one of the most precious I have received.  Kamal is 15 and lives downstairs.  He and his parents and brother fled Yemen over two years ago.  He was born with cataracts and has poor vision so he struggles to see.  When I would come home he would sometimes wait for me and we would chat about life, how hard it is to be in a country that is not your home, how much we miss our home and our families who live so far away.  He is also an artist and made a beautiful collection of shells to go with this simple note.  He doesn't have much to work with and even the corner of the paper was a bit torn.  All the more special.  We have both benefited from this friendship... especially me.

     So here is one of the reasons I am going home.  I left Kenya on 22nd June and passed through Dublin, Bettystown, and Drogheda in the Republic of Ireland.  Then Galbally in Northern Ireland.  Then East Molesey near London...all to say goodbye to missionaries and friends I have worked with in East Africa since 1985.  I arrived in Urbana Illinois at midnight on July 1st.  As my last plane trip touched down I opened my eyes to see a huge yellow slightly waning moon rising over the prairie! I'm once again in our family home living with my mother, Lenore.  I will continue working with Maryknoll Lay Missioners in mission education and advancement.  I'm not sure what will happen to this blog.  Let me know what you think!!!

PEACE OF THE PATH THAT FOLLOWS JESUS