Celebrating Sudanese-Style (Karen's Perspective)

My friend Monica was one of the women on campus who went shopping to get supplies for the big party prior to the day of the feast. She called me the day of the celebration at 8am to meet her at her house and we walked over to the campus kitchen. Her first task for me was to peel the potatoes. It was quite the challenge to peel them with a blunt knife, but an hour later I was surrounded by potato peels. My next task was to wash the potatoes and then cut them into tiny pieces. I realized that I am quite spoiled utilizing a peeler and a cutting board on a regular basis, because the ladies here just peel and cut veggies and meat in their hands.

My friend Monica and I

Meanwhile, Monica was getting the charcoal fired up and the oil sizzling hot to fry the potatoes.  We definitely snacked on deep fried potatoes and they were as good as fries!  The other ladies started to trickle into the kitchen, forming a circle as they cut onions and the innards of the animals.

 

Nothing like deep fried potatoes!

Monica scooping up the cooked potatoes into a pot

Cutting up onions

The innards. 

Cleaning out intestines with bamboo sticks

Once all the potatoes were cooked, the next task assigned to me was to cut liver and kidneys. Now I love liver and grew up eating it but I have never cooked it, let alone cut it in my hand. Thankfully, my stomach was able to handle it! I was not very successful with the kidneys as they kept sliding out of my grasp. The liver and kidneys were also deep fried in oil, and were going to be added to the potatoes and cooked goat for a “kebab” dish.

Cutting liver

Goat being cooked

The final stir of the yummy kebab dish that I actually helped make!

Interspersed with all the cooking, I walked around observing and taking pictures. The ladies had a great time and were laughing and talking for the whole 8 hours they were in the kitchen. It definitely did not look like a chore for them. The best part about observing the cooking was seeing the variation in the way the women would cook the meat. Since everyone is from different regions in the country, they all had their own take on how the meat should be cooked. Each one of the dishes was finger lickin good!

My neighbour Mary working on her dish

Rhoda's dish

Kisra in the making. Just like dosa!

Yummers

The bread making station

I also got to pound some dried okra which was made into a powder to add to boiling water, which I sadly did not get to taste at the end of the day. The pounding mallet was quite heavy. I am constantly amazed at how strong and hardworking Sudanese women are and this day was just reinforcing that.  

Dried okra being pounded

There came to a point where there was a lull in the cooking as most of the dishes were ready, so I went back home to cook some lunch. I returned to the campus kitchen after putting Rachel down for a nap, and some women were still in the throes of cooking, while others were adding finishing touches. The women started to prepare coffee and tea for the men who were going to gather at the Faders house prior to the commencement of the celebrations. I went back home so that David could join the men and I got ready for the party. David bought me a new lawa for the occasion and Bethany gave me a beautiful Dinka (the dominant tribe here) necklace.

Photo credit: Tohru Inoue

When Rachel got up, we walked over to the neem tree outside the campus kitchen, where the women and children were sitting and awaiting the men. As we were waiting, the children bade their time by singing worship songs. We saw the men arriving and then the children stood up. The men sat with each other and then when the singing finished, Principal stood up and gave a speech, which was followed by a speech by Eli, David and then Jon. 

It was very humbling when they announced that we were going to pray over the houses. I was overwhelmed with tears as I saw all these men and women praying over our house.

All the people of GTC walking over to pray for our house

When we returned, the feast began. The women went into the kitchen and served up the food in the communal plate and some bowls. This was the only part I couldn’t help out with as I had to stay with Rachel as David was with the men.

Women coming up with a game plan of how the food is going to be served.

I sat with some of the younger girls on campus and we had great conversations. The men washed our hands before and after the meal. The men were also served the food first, to which one of the girls in our group said “There’s no such thing as ladies First in South Sudan.” The food was delicious. I had been sampling all day but it was still amazing at the end of day. When we finished our plate, I could have seriously gone for some more.

My table digging in! Photo credit: Bethany Fader

If only this was scratch and sniff!

Sweet fellowship. Photo credit: Tohru Inoue

When it was all completed, the men slowly made their way back home, while the children gathered into a circle and played games.

Can you spot the lil Heska?

Rachel sitting with her friend Nyareel

David then went back to the Faders house for more drinks, while I stuck around till it was dark chatting with some ladies and then Rachel and I went back home. While I thought the night was done, I could hear the women singing and doing their Sudanese cheering yelp as they were cleaning up. Some of these women came outside our house and did a Dinka dance for my teammate and I. I didn't want the day to end!

It was so great to experience and enjoy a traditional Sudanese feast. Here's hoping that there will be many more occasions and celebrations in the next year, where we can all gather together to prepare food and feast together.