Poni Abraham

My earliest childhood was in the early 2000s surrounded by SPLM soldiers. My late father was a commander at the time, so soldiers were always around. And every morning, without fail, they would wake up early to go running.

We used to call it "Jumbas."

As a little child, I would wake up before sunrise just to wait for them. The soldiers would gather at the barracks and start running through town, singing so loud and so happily. The moment we heard their voices, we would run to the roadside, grab tree branches or leaves, and join them; running along, singing along…
One of their common songs was “Iya woye waya waya, iya woye, moto moto…”

My favorite song was "Oh Jumbas, doula Jumbas." I never really knew what it meant. But it didn't matter. Those were my happiest memories.

That was the SPLM I knew as a child. Strong. United. Full of life and purpose.

And now?

I look at the mess we are in today. The pain. The suffering. The broken promises.

And honestly, it hurts too much to look at the present.

So I choose to look back. At the soldiers running through town. At the songs we sang. At the joy I felt as a child running alongside them.

That way, the pain doesn't feel so heavy.

Because the SPLM I remember; the one in my childhood, is not the one we have today.

And maybe that's the saddest part of all.

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