Cre8tive Play: Travel the World

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world. By the end of 2021, I'd virtually traveled to 145 countries and plan to complete my journey to all 195 countries by visiting the last 50 this year.

This week's country is...

South Sudan

South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered by Sudan to the north, Ethiopia to the east, Kenya, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south and Central African Republic to the west.

After 50 years of intermittent civil war with the northern half of Sudan, South Sudan signed a cease fire in 2005 and with a 97% vote for independence, South Sudan became a nation in July 2011, making it the newest country in the world.

The first child born after the independence of South Sudan was a boy and was given the name ‘Independent’.

South Sudan is a very poor and under-developed country. It has extensive oil fields that form the basis of the country’s economy. But since the country is landlocked, it runs almost all of its pipelines through Sudan. After a 2012 dispute with Sudan, there is a temporary suspension in production of oil which has shaken the economy.

A large portion of the population engages in subsistence farming and livestock keeping.

Wealth in South Sudan is measured by how many cattle a family owns.

Most locals engage in small businesses such as the selling of vegetables to earn a living.

South Sudan is a multilingual country with people speaking over 60 indigenous languages because of the diversity of their ethnic groups.

The official language of the country is English.

Most people in the country reside in rural areas and live on less than a dollar a day. People live in thatched-roofed houses located in areas with poor sanitation. Eighty percent of the population has no access to any toilet facility.

South Sudan offers practically zero tourist infrastructure, no paved roads and the communications infrastructure is almost non-existent.

South Sudan has an abundance of wildlife including giraffes, buffalos, lions, elephants and hartebeest (large antelope).

Nimule, South Sudan's small but breathtaking national park was home to the now-extinct white rhino. Today a large number of hippo, the Ugandan kob, buffalo and elephants live there.

Boma National Park in South Sudan is home to one of the world’s great wildlife migrations where an estimated 1.3 million antelope move across the landscape in search of good grazing.

The longest river in the world, The Nile, runs through South Sudan. The White Nile, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, runs through South Sudan’s capital city.

South Sudan is a little smaller than the state of Texas, but it has one of the biggest swamps you'll find anywhere on the planet, called the Sudd (pronounced SUD). A lot of thick, reedy water plants grow in the water, making it hard to pass through. However, animals like birds, fish and hippos like to hang out there, but so do mosquitoes.

Traditional dress varies throughout South Sudan and among ethnic groups. Because of the hot climate, clothing tends to be loose-fitting and of light material.

Communal meal sharing is a common practice among most of the communities in the country. People prefer to live in close proximity to their families and relatives.

The diet for most people in the country includes milk, peanuts, honey, fish, meat, finger millet, beans, vegetables and more.

Sorghum is the main cereal crop. Other crops include maize, rice, millet, wheat, mangoes, peanuts, and sesame. The South Sudanese also fish on the country's extensive river network and in the Sudd. Most of the catch is consumed locally. But some seafood is dried and salted for export.

In South Sudan, the greeting is an important part of the culture.

South Sudan has the highest illiteracy rate in the world. Only 16% of South Sudanese children ever go to school and only 1.9% complete primary school.

It is much more common for boys to go to school than girls.

Wau is a multicultural city with several of South Sudan’s most populous tribal groups living there. The city has a lot to offer; from old colonial Buildings to the ramshackle huts and marketplaces constructed from the raw materials of the African bush. It is also home to St. Mary's Cathedral, which is famous for the architecture and its huge size.

South Sudan has a rich tradition of folk music that reflects its diverse indigenous cultures. For example, the folk music of the Dinka people include highly appreciated poetry, while the Azande are especially known for their storytelling.

In the Republic of South Sudan, the majority of the children have to follow in the footsteps of their parents professionally.

Games and sports played in the country include football, basketball, wrestling and mock battles.

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about South Sudan... It is common to pay a man in cattle for the opportunity to marry his daughter should there be several men competing for her.