Traditional Animal Stories of South Sudan: Lessons for Its Children

By Repent Ritti Jada

In 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest nation. Tragically, it is now suffering from civil war and famine. These traditional animanl stories, published for the first time, have been passed down from parents to children for generations. The hope is that the lessons these fun-to-read stories each will be used in South Sudan’s schools to help prepare its children to achieve their country’s promise. But more than that, these stories can teach valuable lessons to children everywhere as they begin to assume their responsibility to build a better world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532095634

Repent Ritti Jada

Repent Ritti Jada was born in Sudan in 1962 during its first civil war. In 2003, he and his family immigrated to the United States. Even though Mr. Jada has been living in America for more than a decade, he has never forgotten his roots in South Sudan. He is very active in the South Sudanese community in the Washington, DC area, working with an organization called Sudan Sunrise to help build schools in South Sudan.

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Copyright © 2020 Repent Ritti Jada.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-9564-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9562-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9563-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020903206

iUniverse rev. date: 02/17/2020

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

The Queen of the Fish is Sick

Animals Revolt Against Men and Women for the First Time

The Rabbit Who Wants to be King

The Elephant King Finds a Wise Husband For His Daughter

The Island of Peace Turns Violent

A Cat Tries to Make a Donkey Behave

All The Animals are Without Tails

Two Friends Plot Against an Elephant

An Animal Conference Determines the Wisest Animal

A Court Case About a Male And Female Cow

A Turtle Competes ?Against Two Big Animals

DEDICATION

I AM dedicating this book to the long-suffering children of South Sudan and to their new nation. These young people have known little but war and death during their short lives. But now, with the birth of the world’s newest country, they have the opportunity to determine their own destiny.

My fervent prayer is that the lessons these traditional animal stories teach will help to build a peaceful and prosperous South Sudanese society and that all of its citizens will know the best that life has to offer.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WOULD like to thank my wife, Christiana B. Kamunde, for her constant support and encouragement that enabled me to commit this oral history to paper for the children of South Sudan.

I would also like to remember my dear departed parents for telling me these stories to prepare me for life ahead and helping to educate me in the absence of a school in our village. I would not be where I am today without their love and guidance.

Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Keith D. Martin, a volunteer with Interfaith Works of Montgomery County, Maryland, and an Adjunct Professor at Montgomery College, for working with me over many months to edit these stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I WAS born in 1962, the fourth of six children, during the first civil war in Sudan, which lasted from 1955 to 1972. I could not start school right away because all the schools in the rural area where I lived were closed during the war.

Fortunately, I was able to begin my education in 1969 by attending Catechism school where we had a Bible class and language instruction two times a week.

I continued my education at the Diko Village Sub/Primary School and then moved to the city of Juba where I graduated from Juba Day Secondary School. From there I received diplomas from Omdurman Ahlia University and