Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed James Zindo, who currently serves as the publishing officer for Across in Yei, Sudan. In this interview, Zindo talks about the challenges his organization has faced in reconciliation and peace building, sharing from his personal experiences working with Across in Nairobi. He also discusses Across's role in providing Christian literature to southern Sudan during the conflict.
Mr. Zindo, can you first speak about your background and how these experiences have brought you to your current work?
I was born in Yambio in southern Sudan, but I completed my studies in Khartoum, where I graduated with a diploma in telecommunications engineering. After graduation I worked in this field with a telecommunications company for two years. At that time, it was obvious that things were not getting on well. The imposition of Islamic law made it very difficult for Christians. It was very clear that if you were not a Muslim you could never be the head of any department or organization. So, in 1991 I decided to go to the Central African Republic via Nairobi.
When I had left Yambio to complete my studies in Khartoum I left behind my family. In fact, my wife was pregnant at that time with our son. And while I stayed on in Khartoum to work until 1991, as I mentioned, they had already fled before that time from the south. You know, many families were divided because of the war. So I made that decision in 1991 to join them in the Central African Republic. We lived there in a refugee camp for about four years. Then in 1995 I began to work with Across in their Nairobi office.
What role did faith play in your journey?
My faith is very important to me; it has shaped my life. First, I should say that I am an Anglican; I belong to the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS). In fact, my father was the bishop of Yambio.
I remember as a child how important my faith was. It helped me not to indulge in those things that would have held me back—bad habits like smoking, drinking, and womanizing. And even before I left Yambio for Khartoum I was licensed as a lay reader in the church.
There is a funny story about my title as lay reader. Once when I trying to get an exit visa to leave Khartoum, which was very difficult for a Christian at that time, the bishop of Khartoum wrote to the Ministry of Religious Affairs on my behalf and stated that I was a lay reader. You had to have the ministry’s permission to get an exit visa. The ministry, though, had no idea about a lay reader. The bishop then had to write a second letter to explain, describing me as an assistant pastor. I was then granted the visa, but it shows how little the Muslim leaders understood us.
Anyways, as I was saying, my faith has always been very important to me. And, I always knew that I wanted to work in a place where I could openly practice my faith—a place where I could do both my professional and spiritual work. When I worked for the telecommunications department in Khartoum, I was the only Christian in the company at that location. I always longed for an opportunity to work in a Christian organization, and so when I heard of the technical position for which Across was hiring, I knew I had to apply.
Please tell me about Across and its work in Sudan.
Across is a Christian organization that was established in 1972 to assist the people of Sudan. At first it stood for Africa Committee for the Rehabilitation of Southern Sudan. Later it meant the Association of Christian Resource Organizations Serving Sudan. However, the strategists have decided that it should no longer be an acronym at all. Regardless of its name, however, Across has been working in partnership with the Sudanese for a very long time.
When it was established in 1972, its main mission was rehabilitation and relief work. However, over the years, we have learned about our strengths and weaknesses and directed our resources towards those areas we feel we are strongest. So I would say that today the main focus of Across is on training. We do much training—training of teachers, radio programming, community-based health trainings, house-hold security trainings, literature development, and so on.
It is important to note that Across works solely in Sudan. At the moment, Across has four field bases in Yei, Boma, Juba, and Rumbek/Adol. There was one in Yambio until recently. Our head office is in Nairobi, Kenya. Finally, there is a field support base at Lokichokio, Kenya.
Can you please talk about your work as publishing officer in the Literature Development Department?
Our work began after Across was expelled from Sudan in 1998 because of its Christian identity. Sitting in Nairobi people asked, "What can we do now?" The answer that came was that Across could continue to support those in Sudan by providing literature to the people they had to leave behind. So, the Sudan Literature Center was established with a focus on two main areas: providing Christian literature, especially to the churches, and providing school books. And this is one of the main things Across continued to do throughout the war.
During that time, we were the only suppliers of school books into Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) controlled areas in the south. We developed, printed, and distributed them with the support of funding from UNICEF, Save the Children, and other organizations. We also thought deeply about the needs of Christians and worked hard to provide song books and Bibles for the churches.
Across was able to reenter Sudan and began operating again in the SPLA-controlled areas of the south. In 2000 we handed over the responsibility for publishing school books to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the government of the south at that time, and turned our focus more towards the development and distribution of Christian literature. Over the past nine years we have done much. Until about two years ago, we had a big push to develop a series of Bible stories, about 30 pages in size. We were able to produce 20 titles of these types of stories and translated them into four languages: Dinka, Bari, Zande and Nuer. More recently we have been developing materials for Sunday schools and New Testament commentaries. These commentaries will be translated into five languages: Dinka, Bari, Zande, Moru, and Nuer. We have also produced discipleship manuals for churches in Nuer, Zande, and Bari.
Have any of your publications focused specifically on reconciliation and peace building?
Yes, we have developed a book on these themes. There was a very good manual we found that had been developed by the Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Program (PHARP) in Kenya. Even though it was mainly for the communities in Rwanda, we thought it could sill be an important tool. So we adapted this for Sudan and translated into Nuer, Dinka, and Bari. It has already been used in trainings we’ve conducted in the Upper Nile region and Dinkaland.
Does Across conduct specific trainings on reconciliation and peacebuilding?
No, this is not our main focus. However, these themes are woven into all our trainings. Reconciliation and peace go side-by-side with our other areas of focus. For example, if we are doing a training on household food security, the issue of tribal conflict will most likely come up. So we are then able to use the manuals I just mentioned to also teach about reconciliation. If the training runs one week, for example, we may do five days of training on the main theme and then two days on reconciliation and peacebuilding. Although Across is primarily a training organization, we are able to incorporate the themes of reconciliation and peacebuilding no matter what.
What are the major challenges you are facing when conducting your trainings, especially on reconciliation and peacebuilding?
Follow-up is the number one challenge. We do a training and are in a community for a while, but then we go. Follow-up is especially important with the chiefs and other community leaders as they are very influential members of their communities; people listen to them. Part of the problem may be that the main focus of Across is on trainings in other areas, not follow-up on peace and reconciliation, but such things seem to be needed.
This is also true about training people about reconciliation and peacebuilding. These are mostly side things for us, but follow-up here, too, would be good.
Mr. Zindo, thank you very much for your time today.
I was born in Yambio in southern Sudan, but I completed my studies in Khartoum, where I graduated with a diploma in telecommunications engineering. After graduation I worked in this field with a telecommunications company for two years. At that time, it was obvious that things were not getting on well. The imposition of Islamic law made it very difficult for Christians. It was very clear that if you were not a Muslim you could never be the head of any department or organization. So, in 1991 I decided to go to the Central African Republic via Nairobi.
When I had left Yambio to complete my studies in Khartoum I left behind my family. In fact, my wife was pregnant at that time with our son. And while I stayed on in Khartoum to work until 1991, as I mentioned, they had already fled before that time from the south. You know, many families were divided because of the war. So I made that decision in 1991 to join them in the Central African Republic. We lived there in a refugee camp for about four years. Then in 1995 I began to work with Across in their Nairobi office.
What role did faith play in your journey?
My faith is very important to me; it has shaped my life. First, I should say that I am an Anglican; I belong to the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS). In fact, my father was the bishop of Yambio.
I remember as a child how important my faith was. It helped me not to indulge in those things that would have held me back—bad habits like smoking, drinking, and womanizing. And even before I left Yambio for Khartoum I was licensed as a lay reader in the church.
There is a funny story about my title as lay reader. Once when I trying to get an exit visa to leave Khartoum, which was very difficult for a Christian at that time, the bishop of Khartoum wrote to the Ministry of Religious Affairs on my behalf and stated that I was a lay reader. You had to have the ministry’s permission to get an exit visa. The ministry, though, had no idea about a lay reader. The bishop then had to write a second letter to explain, describing me as an assistant pastor. I was then granted the visa, but it shows how little the Muslim leaders understood us.
Anyways, as I was saying, my faith has always been very important to me. And, I always knew that I wanted to work in a place where I could openly practice my faith—a place where I could do both my professional and spiritual work. When I worked for the telecommunications department in Khartoum, I was the only Christian in the company at that location. I always longed for an opportunity to work in a Christian organization, and so when I heard of the technical position for which Across was hiring, I knew I had to apply.
Please tell me about Across and its work in Sudan.
Across is a Christian organization that was established in 1972 to assist the people of Sudan. At first it stood for Africa Committee for the Rehabilitation of Southern Sudan. Later it meant the Association of Christian Resource Organizations Serving Sudan. However, the strategists have decided that it should no longer be an acronym at all. Regardless of its name, however, Across has been working in partnership with the Sudanese for a very long time.
When it was established in 1972, its main mission was rehabilitation and relief work. However, over the years, we have learned about our strengths and weaknesses and directed our resources towards those areas we feel we are strongest. So I would say that today the main focus of Across is on training. We do much training—training of teachers, radio programming, community-based health trainings, house-hold security trainings, literature development, and so on.
It is important to note that Across works solely in Sudan. At the moment, Across has four field bases in Yei, Boma, Juba, and Rumbek/Adol. There was one in Yambio until recently. Our head office is in Nairobi, Kenya. Finally, there is a field support base at Lokichokio, Kenya.
Can you please talk about your work as publishing officer in the Literature Development Department?
Our work began after Across was expelled from Sudan in 1998 because of its Christian identity. Sitting in Nairobi people asked, "What can we do now?" The answer that came was that Across could continue to support those in Sudan by providing literature to the people they had to leave behind. So, the Sudan Literature Center was established with a focus on two main areas: providing Christian literature, especially to the churches, and providing school books. And this is one of the main things Across continued to do throughout the war.
During that time, we were the only suppliers of school books into Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) controlled areas in the south. We developed, printed, and distributed them with the support of funding from UNICEF, Save the Children, and other organizations. We also thought deeply about the needs of Christians and worked hard to provide song books and Bibles for the churches.
Across was able to reenter Sudan and began operating again in the SPLA-controlled areas of the south. In 2000 we handed over the responsibility for publishing school books to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the government of the south at that time, and turned our focus more towards the development and distribution of Christian literature. Over the past nine years we have done much. Until about two years ago, we had a big push to develop a series of Bible stories, about 30 pages in size. We were able to produce 20 titles of these types of stories and translated them into four languages: Dinka, Bari, Zande and Nuer. More recently we have been developing materials for Sunday schools and New Testament commentaries. These commentaries will be translated into five languages: Dinka, Bari, Zande, Moru, and Nuer. We have also produced discipleship manuals for churches in Nuer, Zande, and Bari.
Have any of your publications focused specifically on reconciliation and peace building?
Yes, we have developed a book on these themes. There was a very good manual we found that had been developed by the Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Program (PHARP) in Kenya. Even though it was mainly for the communities in Rwanda, we thought it could sill be an important tool. So we adapted this for Sudan and translated into Nuer, Dinka, and Bari. It has already been used in trainings we’ve conducted in the Upper Nile region and Dinkaland.
Does Across conduct specific trainings on reconciliation and peacebuilding?
No, this is not our main focus. However, these themes are woven into all our trainings. Reconciliation and peace go side-by-side with our other areas of focus. For example, if we are doing a training on household food security, the issue of tribal conflict will most likely come up. So we are then able to use the manuals I just mentioned to also teach about reconciliation. If the training runs one week, for example, we may do five days of training on the main theme and then two days on reconciliation and peacebuilding. Although Across is primarily a training organization, we are able to incorporate the themes of reconciliation and peacebuilding no matter what.
What are the major challenges you are facing when conducting your trainings, especially on reconciliation and peacebuilding?
Follow-up is the number one challenge. We do a training and are in a community for a while, but then we go. Follow-up is especially important with the chiefs and other community leaders as they are very influential members of their communities; people listen to them. Part of the problem may be that the main focus of Across is on trainings in other areas, not follow-up on peace and reconciliation, but such things seem to be needed.
This is also true about training people about reconciliation and peacebuilding. These are mostly side things for us, but follow-up here, too, would be good.
Mr. Zindo, thank you very much for your time today.
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