During the event to launch the campaign, Manasseh Mathiang, a renowned gospel artist and one of the performers who appeared in the music video, spoke on behalf of the cohort leading Ana Taban. Mathiang explained why as artists they decided to speak out about the unceasing violence and tribal animosity that has beset the country.

“We are tired of just sitting by and seeing our country burn,” Mathiang said. “We are tired of having a country with vast natural resources and yet a crashing economy. We are tired of having a starving population yet we have a fertile land. We are tired of being used to kill ourselves for the benefit of a few.”

The campaign comes as instability persists in the country, and the number of refugees seeking shelter in neighboring nations has crossed the one million mark, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The activists are also speaking out at a time when the government is reportedly cracking down on civil society members for addressing human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings in the country. Activists who met Security Council officials who visited the country earlier this month have either disappeared or fled the country.

Given the traction of their campaign, Oyay says the government has already started asking about who is funding their campaign.

For now though, the street artwork and music is taking over the streets of Juba and putting a visible mark to the population’s discontent with the country’s status and leadership.

 

 

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