Day Clubbing In War-Torn South Sudan Offers Youth Some Form Of Normalcy

I am constantly reminded how humans are the same the world over—driven by an urge to live, to connect, to love, to follow their dreams even when they are living in very difficult circumstances. In Juba, the capital of Africa's youngest nation – South Sudan – young Sudanese are trying to find ways to live like other young people the world over.

Day clubbing is one of the many ways young South Sudanese in the capital maintain some normalcy in the face of conflict and economic paralysis. They form basketball teams, play football matches, watch movies at the cinema, go for ice cream, get their photo taken, or hang around the Nyakuron Cultural Center where there is almost always an event. 

For most of the young Sudanese, their daily life is one of strife. They lived through civil war from the late 1980s to 2005, many grew up in refugee camps or as asylum seekers in other countries. Some were child soldiers fighting in the bush. After the country's independence in 2011, the country plunged back into violence. Youth unemployment is high. Though the capital is relatively calm, getting home at night is a risk – checkpoints are manned by government soldiers who sometimes intimidate residents or rape women. The lives of these youngsters are far from normal. 

South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, was born in 2011 after a decades-long struggle for independence from the north. An estimated 70% of its 12 million people are under the age of 30. They’ve spent more than half of their country’s existence in a state of civil war, watching their home become one of the most dangerous places in the world for young people.

These day clubs offer an opportunity for the youth to momentarily live like other youth do and are free from the tribal divisions that affect all other parts of live in South Sudan. As they dance to Celine Dion ballads or grind to Jamaican hits they momentarily live normal lives.