Sudan Update 5

Dinka Christianity
Many of the people we work with in the Episcopal Church of Sudan are Bor Dinka, People of the Dinka tribe who originate from the place called Bor in Jongli State. The Dinka of Bor’s conversion to Christianity is fascinating; of all the tribal groups in South Sudan they represent the most complete religious transformation anywhere in Sudan in current times. There has been an almost total conversion of a people to a Christian identity within a 10 year period.

This seems to stem from the fact that the Bor Dinka probably suffered a more intense and complete destruction of their traditional culture and ways of life than any other people in South Sudan during the civil war. Government assaults and large scale Nuer cattle raids (Nuer are another Sudanese tribal group) in the early 90’s caused the total obliteration of the Bor Dinka cattle herds and consequently their livelihoods and very culture (cattle were fundamental to Dinka life, providing their livelihood, food and wealth). The majority of people were displaced into other areas and refugee camps where many remain today.

This experience led to a total revulsion against their traditional shrine spirits and resulted in the widespread destruction of all artefacts used for traditional religious practices. In February 94 in the town of Bor a vast number of these artefacts were collected together inside the church there and destroyed. Isaiah 18 became a key text of the Bor Dinka church’s identity as it holds a prophecy about Kush (translated ‘Sudan’ in the Good News Bible) which describes both suffering and eventual redemption and a turning to God.


We have just returned from a break in Egypt to Khartoum and plan to travel back to Malakal this week.

Will be in touch again soon

Best wishes

Keren