hyssop

Lots of commissioners at the station launch means lots of security. This guy was the badest of all.

I climbed up onto a sand pile to try to get a shot of previously posted mob scene outside the radio station and a bunch of kids climbed up with me. They wanted their pictures taken but the more I tried to move back to get more kids the closer they got! Extra thanks to Deb, our fearless program director, for capturing this scene. The second picture is the one I took just as Deb was snapping the first one. The first photo also features my esteemed colleague Eleanor Dobing intrepidly scaling the sand pile with me.

These women performed a traditional Nuer dance during the launch ceremonies.

The massive Naath FM launch party moved from the cool shade of the Cross Site Visit location (more on this later) across the airstrip to the radio station itself, where the afore-posted mob scene photo was taken. Our reporters went on-air and took a mic into the crowd to broadcast more speeches by the various dignitaries who were present. Here is Jacob Ruai in the studio about to go on-air and set the scene for people tuning in on their radios before the commissioners enter.

We went to Leer, Sudan to be there for the official launch of one of our community radio stations (Naath FM 88.0), and to participate in a big conference on democratic elections hosted by Mercy Corps and USAID. The station launch was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.

This photo is about one-fifth of the mob scene outside Naath FM during the festivities. When the various commissioners went inside to make their on-air speeches, so many people tried to cram in to watch that the bodyguards and soldiers had to beat them back to prevent people from getting crushed. Luckily no one was seriously injured.

We lucked into some sparklers to help celebrate Obama’s inauguration. We watched the event on a big TV at a compound called Palm Tree with about 50 other people. It was pretty fascinating to watch it in Africa. The biggest cheers that night were actually when Bush climbed up the steps of the helicopter and waved goodbye. I think people over here were rather glad to see him go!

When we were in Leer for the official launch of our station (Naath FM) there was also a giant week-long training seminar and mock election to build capacity and knowledge for what will hopefully be peaceful elections in Sudan in June of this year. To accomodate the 400 or so people, a dirt field was used as a campsite, with row after row after row of tents were set up. This engine was near the middle. Most of the machinery in Sudan is in about this shape.

Back to Kauda and the beautiful Nuba mountains. This is a Nubian burial site. The important people are buried on top of mountains in round brick structures with open tops to give the soul easier access to the sky. The round brick part is of similar construction to the dwellings in Sudan, called tukuls. The wall is about a meter high, and thatch is placed on a support structure for the roof.

A great tree in the compound I was staying at in Malualkon.

Some kids in the market in Malualkon. It’s a small town, so children tend to run around in groups playing together. Apprently they sometimes go to each other’s huts, even for a few days, so parents come over the radio station and ask for a “missing child” announcement to find out where they’ve ended up!