 My name is Anne Smith and I work with Project Bazia named for the gentleman sitting next to me also for the place of his birth and his grandfather. This is Antony Bazia and we together run a nonprofit here in Portland that is dedicated to helping young people, especially the people of Bazia's homeland, South Sudan. And I want to share with you today that we have written a book about South Sudan and it's being released on Amazon and we're here to present the purpose of the book because it's far beyond just publication, it has a deeper meaning. The book is called Where Am I From and it's dedicated to the children of South Sudan. In 2011, which is called the Year of Change in South Sudan, this country declared her independence from Sudan, which was once one big country. It was the biggest country in Africa. Her people waved the new colorful flag, sang the new national anthem and shouted Oye, which means hooray. Her people thought their troubles were over, united by their vote and the belief that better times were ahead, the South Sudanese began the process of building a new nation. Last year, in 2013, only two years after the Year of Change, civil war once again broke out in South Sudan. Many people died, many were displaced from their homes and the faith of the South Sudanese people in the new government pretty much disappeared. The unity of the new nation also vanished as old hatred surfaced while everyone looked for someone to blame. The situation looked hopeless and the whole world was watching. But here, we know how the independence happened and we know how much the independence meant to the South Sudanese people, 98%, almost 99% of them voted to separate their country and they believed, they really believed that once they had a flag and a country of their own, there would be no more fighting. But they are now fighting within their country. Why? First of all, it was a good, excited moment for them and it's like you have everything on your head and you just feel like you drop it. This was one of the, when 2011 take place in South Sudan vote on 98 or 99 to be a country. But they never talked about what's the next move to be a nation. In my respect, I would say whatever happened earlier, I think, in different reasons is good. So you're saying this fighting now is good? It's good for one reason because to be a nation, it's not only flag. It's a process because all these people who get in the power, they came background of guerrilla fight and what they know, they know everything is about gun. And even to make South Sudan became a nation, it's not only about the gun. After the international community to look at the issue because the issue be taking place for a long time. So the international community helped them settle the CPA which divided the country but stepped back and let them rule themselves and they had never ruled themselves. Yeah, they never ruled themselves to be a nation. But they used to be under the Khatum government who running the Sudan genre according to the design of the one around the Khatum according to them. But now when they became two country and different condition of to run the two country and according to what the second citizen of South Sudan who became a country, they have their own way to believe what they want to be. And before the Muslims or before the Arabs ran the country, it was the British? Yes. So they have never have a chance to govern themselves. So as you have said, there was bound to be trouble. That's right. It had to happen. So are they making any progress? For me, the process is happening according after this accident take place and it was not only about what people think and outside. I can put it, it was about the power between two leaders who fighting to run the same country. But they never have a common in the way that we all the same nation if one around the country. The country have to be the president, the vice president and even the very important for the country, the citizen of the country. If we raise the volume to make the citizen understand what means to be a citizen of South Sudan, that's what's missing in the first place and I think according to this reflected happening, some people understand. So this is not a genocide which I have read in American newspapers and on blogs. It's not a genocide from the understand because it's about the power. And if you look at it, they are more hungry to be in the power because they have been fighting for 22 years and when they get the chance, it's different. Just like somebody who was living in the guerrilla fight and you bring him home, you have a nice car, nice food, nice bodyguard and you're just going to tell him, I'm going to take this from you. I don't think it's easy. This is what I understand and according to my background from my family, I have a little bit of idea of what. So these leaders who are leading the fight saw the reward of all their struggle as guerrilla fighters to be in power and to stay in power. To stay in power. Why did we write this book? The reason to write this book is because we care about the next generation. We don't want to do the same mistake what happened right now in South Sudan and we have to look out the positive way because whatever we do, we have to be at peace. Hurtress, point finger on ourselves, it doesn't help. And we want to pay the price for the people who died for this South Sudan, like Hiru Jungarang and others who died for this South Sudan and others who struggle to make South Sudan to be at peace. We have to have peace and respect and we have to think about the next generation. That's the purpose of this book. I know one thing that I learned from writing this book was about something that exists in South Sudan apart from the people which has had an incredible effect upon the nation's history and it's a swamp. South Sudan is about the size of Texas and right smack dab in the middle of it around the River Nile is a swamp that at its peak flood is the size of the state of Alabama and when it shrinks it's still the size of Maryland, it's huge. And before the separation, I think the most interesting thing about this swamp is that before the separation the people of the north were building a canal for the Egyptians so that the water in the Nile would go right through the swamp. There wouldn't be a swamp anymore. They paid I believe something like five million dollars and tons of equipment to the north and said build us a canal and then we can get our water faster. Again, an example of how little the cartoon government cared about the assets of the people of the south. Now as a person who loves the environment apart from my love of people I could see immediately when I began reading about this as I researched for this book that if that canal had been completed within a very short time maybe even ten years South Sudan would have been a desert. There would have been nothing but a river flowing through the middle and no more swamp which was supporting an enormous amount of wildlife and the nomadic cattle herders. Would you say something about those people though because I think they're a big part of the problem in South Sudan? This is one of the things the Hiru Jon Garang was included in the CPA agreement. They cannot accept the canal to happen. That was barred by the CPA? By the CPA and to protect the land of South Sudan and maybe I can say in the name of God who protect South Sudan in a different direction but I was glad the Hiru Jon Garang understand that and he was standing against that and that would take place in the CPA agreement I believe that's going to save a lot of life and not even in South Sudan and Africa generally. I think that whole eastern part of Africa would have eventually been affected dried right up because there was no more swamp which slowed the water down and spread it out into the into the rest of the countries. One thing we talk a lot about in this book is something called diaspora. Diaspora means the spreading of seeds basically. The Jews who are in diaspora, African Americans see themselves as a group from diaspora and South Sudanese really see it very strongly that many of them fled and they are here now or they are in the UK or Australia or Canada they're all over the globe. More than half a million South Sudanese still consider themselves South Sudanese citizens but they live outside the country. How can they help with the process that's happening back in their homeland? For me I'm direct the message to them they have to be more open mind of education and there's two subjects in the media now sometimes they make mistake opinion and facts and I wish everybody listened to this interview. When you want to talk you got a pacific if you say in your opinion is a different thing when you say facts is a different thing because sometimes we own people they will affect the other brothers and sisters according to what they just said because really education is not a fight it's supposed to be a common sense understand and before you speak think about it and say it. Well you have a nation too that the people in diaspora are getting educated their children go to public schools they have learned to read and write but back in South Sudan 95% of the people cannot read or write so they only go by what they hear. That's right one of the things we hope to have is school we hope to learn from the other country but I'm surprised when we have people in diaspora they compare South Sudan with America and Canada I feel sorry because if you look at the United States to get dependents United States it's like 200 years ago you cannot compare a country have depended for 200 years ago and the country have only two year old and a baby. I think the last thing I want to ask you is I know you feel very strongly about three people that you feel contributed to the independence of South Sudan and that you personally would like to thank them would you like to speak to that? The first person is the hero John Dr. Grant he's around five for all these 22 years even he doesn't enjoying it and he passed away after 21 days of 20 days we thank you for him we thank you for what he does and we thank you for George W. Bush one of the people who was part of to have the agreement of CPA and then Tony Blair in London and I appreciate all of these three people and I appreciate the South Sudanese who watch in this interview I want them to learn and I want them to understand this book is not only just about the book it's about the right message for the next generation thank you thank you