 My name is Maya from Ghana and I'm in South Sudan for the first time and I got to know about freedom farms and I think this is really a large-scale farm and I was trying to find the person who is behind this farm that led me to you so I'll be so happy if you tell me your name and who you are and where you're from. My name is Pyeng Deng. I'm a former freedom fighter and a former general in SPLA that was the Army of South Sudan. I was deputy chief of general staff of SPLA Army and then I became chief of police of South Sudan. That was my last formal position or government position that I held. But currently I'm the founder of freedom farm and I'm the one supervising this farm, freedom farm. I want to know why they name freedom farms. Definitely when I was young I was among the first people who decided to rebel against Sudan government to fight for the freedom of Sudanese people which later on resulted into South Sudan freedom. For me I thought that what we have got is political freedom and we still have other freedom that we have to do. I thought that it is important. The first idea came to my mind from the time that we were still fighting in earlier 20s when we were about to reach peace agreement. I thought that even if we get the power, the political power, what will happen to these freedom fighters? The freedom fighters need real to think about how they should be free. They have fought for freedom of the people but they should also be free and to have their freedom in terms of living conditions, in terms of economics and in terms also to see that why they were fighting. For sure we were fighting for the goodness of our people and also for our own self, freedom and livelihood that we should. So I thought that it is important to think about how do we really do our freedom or have our freedom as persons and as people and as a country. Because myself I am an economist, I am a military scientist, I am also a strategist because I studied, even before I rebelled I was in University of Khartoum but I left it and I rebelled. But during the struggle also I managed to study. Because of behaviors of the government of the day that Khartoum government was treating our people and was also having bad politics and whatever and all this. And we thought that Khartoum government never done anything to our people in South Sudan and all this and tried, you know, in 70s they used to say that the oil was discovered 400 miles from Khartoum. They did not want to mention that it was discovered in South Sudan. And when we were as university students we thought that this is too much, why not mentioning. And also they were talking about canal jungle to be dug, that the Nile has to be diverted and we thought that it was for the interest of Egypt and not for the interest of South Sudanese. Because in South area along the Nile our people are benefiting with their cattle, they were getting fish, they were also rearing their animals and whatever and all this. But when you divert without proper planning definitely that is going to affect them and that is going to disadvantage them. We have our wildlife almost benefiting from the area and when you divert the water definitely without study definitely was going to affect. That one had did mobilize as young students, as young intellectuals and we thought that this is too much, we have to challenge it. And in fact this was the major reason why we really thought of rebelling against the government. How long has freedom founds been resistance? In fact I started it with seed 2008. Before independent? Yes, yes for sure. But Piguri was earlier than this. I started it in a place called Rumbik and in fact I started it because I thought that this is the only animal that can really multiply quickly. And I thought of demobilization of our fighters, freedom fighters. So I thought that if I introduce this one would really encourage other fighters to really think about their own businesses instead of them clinging on the government positions. Because for sure I thought that maybe after we get independent that was earlier. That we need also to encourage our people to really develop their life outside the public sector. And the only thing I thought because one time I was also I was visiting during our war. I was visiting one of the country which in fact I managed to visit an area which was very poor. But one of their king decided to invite a certain company and told that company that I want these people to be rich. And the company just decided to say okay let us make a research. And that company made a research and told the king that the only thing is that let us introduce Piguri programme to these people. And we'll make them rich. And in fact it was within three years and that was my time of visiting that country. I got that and I even met with those villages who were telling us who were telling me that you know before three years we were very poor. But now we are driving our cars because of Piguri. And they explained to me and even I went to that country to that company. They explained to me how they made them to be rich. So I thought that this is what our freedom fighters need. We want them to be rich but not through the public sector. I want them to be rich through private sector. The other thing I thought that you know our people they rare animals like cows and goats and whatever. But I said if I take cows or goats they will say that I looted their properties. I looted their animals and all this. So I thought of something that they were not raring. And I said let me I went to Uganda and I got there was this pig. Locals were raring them and I thought that let me have them. And I introduced it to our people because they don't know the pigs. They saw that these are bad animals they eat useless things and whatever. But it was good that you know the area that which I started raring them. People were not eating them. But now they did and they found it as one of the delicious meat. So now this is why I brought some of them. In fact I brought only 12. How many pigs do you have now? My young man there is somebody that I have not introduced Daniel. Daniel was one of my my child soldier whom I brought up. And I put him in the school and he finished university and he said Comrade there is nothing that I can do to you. I want to promote your vision the pigry farm. And he was the one who started this farm. This Daniel the young man after his graduation. Freedom farm as you have heard from Pyong is one of the most beneficial farm and interesting farm in South Sudan where each and every south Sudanese is given opportunity to be developed through the extension services that we are providing to the community. If you look around us here the more beneficiaries are the community. And this is one of the main objective of this company to provide food to supply the markets and then to build this the value change so that the community can develop themselves. We are now on a large scale commercial farming. As you have seen the field is big and we have a different type of crops. We have given the names to the tractors and each tractor is located to one driver. So every driver has the right to name whatever names he needs to be given. What are they doing here right now? Currently we are planting the early sorghum. This early sorghum plantation is initiated by Pyong, the role Pyong. So you want to do some research exactly to know whether by the end of June you are going to harvest this one. Because we don't want to leave the land without being planted because we will start planting in May or in June. So you want to use this period of time to put anything on the ground. Exactly. When it succeeds it is good. When it fails then we will see. Because the rains are not reliable we don't know whether it will continue raining. We are planning now to work on irrigation even though we have some areas that were irrigated previously but currently they are dry off. They don't have any water longer. So you know after pigs multiplied in Rumbeg and Yorul and then we have peace agreement. We came to Yuba in 2005. So in 2008 I brought only 12 animals from Rumbeg here. And this way you see that fence. We started with it. They were roaming here. It is all over the place here. Daniel managed to develop all these facilities. I would love to speak to Daniel but I want to know how many acres is this whole farm set on? Well the crop production is sitting on 1,470 hectares. That is crop farming. Is it the biggest in East Africa? I am not sure. But it is bigger in South Sudan. But not in East Africa. What kind of crops are you growing? We are growing rice, soya beans, surgub and maize. But this year we want to introduce what is called mung beans. Also mung beans we are going to introduce it this year. I want to understand. Do you think it is worth it to be a farmer? Yes and I enjoy it. Because now after I fought for this country I thought South Sudan the most important source or resource it has is land. You know South Sudan population is around 12 to 15 million. And you know the size is almost doubling. Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi. This is the size of South Sudan. And if you see the population of those countries it is too much for if you compare it with our population. So this is the bigger source this country has. And if we utilize it, then not the oil. Oil is nothing for us, not the gold. Gold is nothing for us. Because we have enough land, we have enough water. And we can do wonders if we develop this sector. How many people have you employed so far? Now here I have 47 people who are employed. But there are casual workers. That sometimes may reach to 100 to 150 and all this depends on the activities that is in the farm. If you had the chance to change one thing in Africa what would that can be? Dependency. Dependency. Dependency. That's why people should depend on others. Like in South Sudan now everything is relief, relief, relief, relief. Now the most active people now these are relief organizations in this country. And I'm not sure of other countries but for South Sudan there is a lot of dependency. We depend on other people. Even when we were colonized, colonized. People were taking resources from us to colonize us. But we should be the one doing this for ourselves. Why do you think we are not doing things for ourselves? Or why do you think we don't depend on ourselves? You know historically Africa was the boss. Historically. But in the middle something happened and we become the lowest people. And these need young people like you to research for that. How was it turned down? I think colonization played a major role. Why did we even be colonized and defeated? Why? Because we were our own enemies? No, I think you people, you will say more. No, I mean you have to tell me more. You will say more. I mean this is more like an assignment to us. You know sometimes it's because of our riches. We are too rich and we become more lazy. Even mentally we become more lazy. And this is why other people become more active because they were in desperate situation. They were looking for survival. Africans were enjoying their riches and they were enjoying, they become lazy. And I think that was the reason why we become like this. Do you have so many Africans watching us all over the world if you have a message to Africans? What would that message be? The only thing is that you know the most important thing is the trust to yourself. You trust yourself and you be confident in yourself. I'm sure you will make anything possible. But when you think that you depend on others and this is where freedom farm is I want to be free mentally, physically and solely in soul I have also to be free. And since I'm in freedom farm definitely I want to be free too. That's why I'm here. I mean this place is not called free town but when you come here you feel like you're in free town because we're free now. We have so many young South Sudanese who left the country and currently they are all living in the diaspora. I'm telling them to come back but do you think it's necessary for them to come back? If you have a message for them what would that message be? What I want to tell you that the man that is seated in front of you here maybe is one of the father of those children those young people who are in America Australia and Europe and Canada it happened that I was their caretaker it was the one taken care of them when they were so young and I was really the one who brought them up before they go for a settlement and maybe most of them if not all of them they know me and always I give them messages you know sometimes some of them they have acquired knowledge they have acquired PhD holders they are PhD holders they have masters they have whatever and they always say that if we go to the South what are we going to get? this is their question always if we go to the South are we not going to be victimized are we going not to be killed are we not going to be what and all this but what I can tell them that you know when some of us were young we sacrificed our life and we fought for this country we were not knowing that we were going to be alive up to this moment why are you fearing to be in your own country why do you ask what are you going to get what are you going to get is to save your people and I know when they were very small some of them were trying to go to the war they wanted to take arms and fight but I used to tell them that no no no your time have not yet come this is not your time this is our time let us fight physically but now for the development of this country and for the betterness of this country and these people it is your time that you are going now it become their time now this is their turn to struggle their struggle is different from our struggle and their struggle can be harder than ours and therefore they should not run away from this duty they should come back and struggle to let their people live better life and enjoy the happiness of their people and not just to think about that no we are not going because there we will not be allowed to do this for us nobody allowed us to struggle for these people we just decided to struggle for them and we are happy now we are not of the happiest person that I am seeing my people politically are free but if they come back are there opportunities for them in this country you know sometime I don't agree with anybody saying that let us see the opportunity first why do you ask for opportunity you take that opportunity upon yourself now who told me to come and establish this farm nobody told me it was my own initiative and I am happy that some people are enjoying it why not them to come and do their own initiative and let them do something that is going to benefit this country these people that is the most important thing don't ask anybody to do it for you you do it for yourself and do it for your people this is a personal question do you believe Africa is the future was the past and it is the future I want to say thank you so much for taking it to me