Race, religion and resistance: revelations from the Juba archive

ABSTRACT

There is scant information on Angelo Tutuo, the first Zande Catholic priest, beyond his entries in two biographical dictionaries. In recent years, however, I have discovered letters written by and about Tutuo in the Comboni Archives and the recently organized South Sudan National Archives. These letters disclose unpublished information about his life, including accusations of racism against the Verona Fathers, his parliamentary campaign, and his thoughts as a member of the Anyanya movement. This article uses these writings to examine the broader dimensions of South Sudanese resistance language during the late colonial and early independence periods. While some expressed fears of “enslavement” from Northern Sudanese leading up to independence, patriots like Tutuo forged a spiritualized, separatist lexicon after independence. This strategy marked an important development in the evolution of South Sudanese political thought and points to the role of Sudanese priests as key architects of liberation vocabulary.

KEYWORDS:

• South Sudan
• missionaries
• race
• politics
• archives

Acknowledgements

I thank the anonymous reviewers, Derek Peterson, and those who posed questions and/or provided feedback when the first iteration of this paper was presented at the 2013 African Studies Association meeting in Baltimore.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Sudanese Catholic Clergy, 25 and ACR A/98/3/1, Dellagiacoma, Sudanese Clergy, 2.

2. For information on the archive and organizational project, see “100 Years of History: The South Sudan National Archive.” Attached in email from Douglas Johnson to author, April 10, 2015, 1–3; “Juba Archives 2012 Summary.” Attached in email from Douglas Johnson to author, April 10, 2015, 1; Email from Douglas Johnson to author, August 23, 2015; and Rift Valley Institute, “National Archive.”

3. Gray, “Reflections on Christian Involvement,” 114.

4. Ibid. (entire article).

5. Sharkey, “Missionary Legacies,” 63–4; Falge, “Cultural Resilience,” 207–8.

6. Kuyok, South Sudan, lxiii.

7. Leonardi, Dealing with Government, 144.

8. For SPLA uses of Christianity and religious nationalism leading up to independence see Tounsel, “Khartoum Goliath,” and Tounsel, “God will crown us”

9. Anderson, Werner, and Wheeler, Day of Devastation, 157–8, 225–6, 273–4, 291–2, and 342–3; Pitya, “Evangelism,” 244–24, 345, 346 (fn. 133), 447–448; Dominic Ferrera, “R.C.M. Mupoi Prefecture Personnel” SSNA Box EP 377 Folder 46.B.4.1 [2012 designation], February 10, 1953; Wheeler, “Christianity in Sudan.”; Comboni Missionaries, “Comboni Missionaries Begin Celebration.”

10. Nikkel, Dinka Christianity, 201–2.

11. Hickson, “Note on the Roman Catholic Missions in the Southern Sudan,” SAD 664/7/4, 5, June 9, 1937.

12. Martin Parr to [C.W.M.] Cox, SAD 669/3/3, May 18, 1937.

13. Sudanese Catholic Clergy, 24–8 and Pitya, “Evangelism,” 625–6.

14. Pitya, “Evangelism,” 448, 527; Catholic-Hierarchy, “Bishop Domenico Ferrara”; Comboni Missionaries, “Historical Outline.”; Durhholtz, “Holy Trinity Catholic Church,” 36; “Comboni Missionaries Begin Celebration”

15. Angelo Tutuo, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1 [n.d.]

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Angelo Tutuo to Governor of Equatoria, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, June 22, 1953; Angelo Tutuo, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, March 11, 1955; and “Diocese of Wau” for Mason’s status as Vicar Apostolic of Bahr el Ghazal.

20. My interpretation of the SSNA documents is that Tutuo actually resigned twice; as he stated in April 1955 that he could not tolerate work as a priest anymore but earlier referred to resignation in an undated letter positioned right after a Tutuo-authored 1953 letter. Why he would have resigned twice is befuddling, though the simpler answer would of course be that the undated letter is also from 1955. 

21. Angelo Tutuo, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, March 11, 1955. His decision to stop living with them and essentially withdraw from priestly duties is expressed in the same letter. 

22. Angelo Tutuo to Governor of Equatoria, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, April 28, 1955.

23. See Sharkey, “Arab Identity,” 21 and Sharkey, “Century,” 531. Sharkey puts quotations around “Sudanese” and “national” in “Century,” 531.

24. See Wawa, Pursuits, 11; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 3rd ed, xlv, 114–5; D.F. Hawley, “Note on Sudanese Nationalism,” SAD HAW 1/3/15, June 17, 1946; Abbas, “Growth,” 31–3.

25. SAD 519/2/17-19; Letter from government school teachers, Tonj, to Deputy Governor, Bahr el Ghazal Area concerning the future of the Southern Sudan (May 24, 1947) as taken from Wawa, Pursuits, 32, 33.

26. Philibert Ucini to Governor of Equatoria, SAD 519/2/14-15, June 4, 1947 (taken from Wawa, Pursuits, 34, 35 [quote on 34]).

27. Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 4th ed., xxxix; Wawa, Pursuits, 12; Barsella and Guixot, Major Dates, 2.

28. FO 371.102737; no. 28; Petition from Yambio opinion leaders to Governor-General regarding the agreement between the Egyptian Government and Northern Sudanese parties (December 2, 1952), as taken from Wawa, Pursuits, 85.

29. SAD 803/9/6, “The Film ‘Quo Vadis.” Morning View, April 13, 1954; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 4th ed., 469.

30. Rodgers, “Ex-missionary,” (for expulsion year) and William B. Anderson, “The Role of Religion in the Struggle in the Sudan,” SAD 795/6/11, n.d.

31. Barsella and Guixot, Major Dates, 2–3; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 4th ed., xxxix; Rolandsen, “A False Start.”

32. Angelo Tutuo for Governor of Equatoria, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, February 23, 1953 and Superintendent of Police Equatoria, “Summary of Investigation. Gist of Evidence Arrived at so far,” SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A, April 21, 1958; A.B. El Awad to Governor Equatoria, SSNA Box EP 213, Folder EP.SCR.10.C.6 [Aug. 2013 designation], April 28, 1956 and A.B. El Awad to Governor of Equatoria, “List of Those to Meet the Southern Ministerial Committee in Yambio on 4.24.56,” SSNA Box EP 213, Folder EP.SCR.10.C.6 [Aug. 2013 designation], April 24, 1956.

33. Angelo Tutuo, SSNA Box EP 377, Folder EP.46.B.4.1, February 23, 1953; M.M.S. Aby Kadok, “Summary of Investigation. Gist of Evidence Arrived at so far” (1) SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A., April 21, 1958; Sudanese Catholic Clergy, 25, 26.

34. Transcript of interview with Gerome Siri, SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A, April 18 1958.

35. Ibid. For Cigolla’s first name see Dominic Ferrera, “R.C.M. Mupoi Prefecture Personnel,” SSNA Box EP 377 Folder 46.B.4.1 [2012 designation], February 10, 1953.

36. For quotes see transcript of interview with Gerome Siri, SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A, April 18, 1958; for information on Cigolla and Fulenetto see Dominic Ferrera, “R.C.M. Mupoi Prefecture Personnel,” SSNA Box EP 377 Folder 46.B.4.1 [2012 designation], February 10, 1953.

37. M.M.S. Abu Kodok, “Summary of Investigation. Gist of Evidence Arrived at so far,” SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A [1958]; Aby Kodok handwritten letter in SSNA Box ZD 58, Folder ZD.40.A [1958]; Ali Baldo to Dominic Ferrara, ACR A/87/23/64-65, October 15, 1958; Black Book, 97, fn. 1.

38. Johnson, Root Causes, 30

39. Ibid., 31.

40. Ibid., 32–4, 36–7, 39.

41. SACNU to Milton Obote, SAD 817/10/57-59, February 20, 1963. The movement was initially known as the Sudan African Closed Districts National Union (SACDNU) but was shortened in 1964 to the Sudan African National Union (SANU). See Wawa, Pursuits, 15 and Kuyok, South Sudan, xxviii.

42. E.N. Abod, ‘Statement by Southern Sudanese Students and Youth “To All African Student Organisations,” ACR A/94/10/1, [1964].

43. ACR A/86/21/1, William Deng, “Official Statement,” [1].

44. Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 4th ed., 78; Storrs McCall, “Unpublished Manuscript on the History of the First Civil War in South Sudan (Anya-Nya)-1.” Sudan Open Archive, 9, 10 [79–80].

45. Each of the preceding two quotations come from Angelo Tutuo, “Information from the W.E.R.C. January-April 1969,” ACR A/98/39/5a, April 22, 1969.

46. Angelo Tutuo to Ringasi and Biki Councils, ACR A/98/39/5a, April 22, 1969.

47. Angelo Tutuo to Biki and Ringasi [Councils; inferred from Angelo Tutuo to Ringasi and Biki Councils, ACR A/98/39/5a, April 22, 1969], WERC/H.Qs. Ringasi, Joseph Oduho and Joseph Lagu, ACR A/98/39/5b, June 15, 1969.

48. Angelo Tutuo to Dominic Ferrara, ACR A/98/39/3, May 15, 1969 and Angelo Tutuo to Dominic Ferrara, ACR A/98/39/3a, February 24, 1968.

49. Pitya, “Local Church.”

50. Kuyok, South Sudan, 331.

51. Ibrahim Nyigilo to Heads of Christian Churches, Heads of African States, and Secretary-General of the UN, SAD 804/8/52-53, 56, 1962-1963.

52. Sudanese Catholic Clergy, 26; Kuyok, South Sudan, 423.

53. Saturnino Lohure to Rev. Fr. Bartolucci, ACR.A/107/19/9, 1962.

54. “Mahgoub Meets Demonstrations,” 4. For biographical information on Mahgoub see Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 3rd ed, 181.

55. Kuyok, South Sudan, 388.

56. Paulino Doggale, “Account of Kit (Juba-Southern Sudan) Major Seminarists’ Departure to Uganda,” ACR A/95/7/34, July 31, 1965.

57. Allison, Through Fire and Water, 65–6. See also “The Story of Bishop Gwynne’s Destruction. An eyewitness account given by the Vice-Principal, the Rev. Christopher Mame,” SAD 803/9/41, [1966].

58. As quoted in ACR A/86/27, “Fr. Saturnino Is Dead But His Soul Liveth” The Vigilant, February 7, 1967, 125.

59. Lagu, “Better to Die,” 18.

60. Kuyok, South Sudan, 376.

61. Ngamunde, “The Agony of Depopulation.”

62. Storrs McCall, “Unpublished Manuscript on the History of the First Civil War in South Sudan (Anya-Nya)-1.” Sudan Open Archive, 9, 10 [79–80]; Kuyok, South Sudan, 376.

63. Pitya, “Evangelism,” 412; Collins, History of Modern Sudan, 104; Cook, “The Nugent School,” 27.

64. “Towards Maturity: Slide set commentary showing The Growth of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan,” SAD 816/25/24, 1976.

65. Kuyok, South Sudan, 387, 388, 847.

66. Hassan Dafalla to Ireneo Dud, ACR A/98/1/12, 1–2, August 3, 1965.

67. Rift Valley Institute, “National Archive.”

68. Ibid.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (Multi-Country Fellowship), the Pennsylvania State University, and several grants from the University of Michigan (Department of Afroamerican and African Studies’ African Studies Initiative Research Grant, the African Studies Center’s Research, Language Travel Grant, the African Studies Center, and the Rackham Graduate School’s International Research Award).