1. Striking for peace
Russell Grenning
In the war-ravagedRepublicof SouthSudan,a groupof womenactivistshasdecidedthatitisjust
not goodenoughtocross your fingersandhope forpeace,theyare proposingcrossingtheirlegsas
well –yes,theyhave proposeda“sex strike”to denytheirhusbandsconjugal rightsuntil they
smartenup theiract and stopslaughteringeachother.
A gatheringof aboutninetyfemale “peaceactivists”inthe capital Jubarecently,ledbyaformer
MinisterforGender,ChildandSocial Welfare MsPriscilaNyanyang,hituponthe idea “to advance
the causeof peace, healing and reconciliation” and I can onlywishthemeverysuccess. Isuspect
that while achievingtheirbigpicture goal withthistacticissomewhatproblematic,Idoubtitwill
achieve muchpeace andhealingandreconciliationinthe personal relationships,specifically
marriage, area.
The ideais nota newone.
In ancientGreece some 2,500 yearsago,the playwrightAristophanespennedaplay – Lysistrata – in
whichthe womenof Athens,fedupwithendlesswars,withdrew theirfavoursuntil theirmenfolk
gave some seriousthoughttoa fundamental yearning –and,no, not the primeval one –but the
cause of peace.Rathermore pragmatically,the ladiesalsotookoverthe Parthenonwhichcontained
the treasuryto fundthe war and helditagainstall comers.
The play isdescribedasa comedyprobablybecause all the menthatsaw it laughedthemselvessilly
at such an absurdidea.
Africanwomenhave done all of thisbefore.In2012, a groupwomeninLiberialedbya fieryfeminist
calledontheirsistersto “keep thegate of yourmotherhood locked up”until there wasanoutbreak
of peace while in2003 in Liberiawomenwhowere fedupwithashoddy,shabbydictatorshipand a
longcivil warstagedtheirownsex strike.Now thisreallywassuccessful –not onlydidthe civil war
endand democraticelectionsheld,butLiberianselectedtheirfirstfemale president. Isuspectthat
all the husbandsdecidedthatyoucouldn’tbe toocareful andthat thiswas a sure-fire waytostop
any future reoccurrence of thisstrike idea.
SouthSudanis the world’snewestcountry,comingintoexistenceon9 July,2011 whena
referendumseparatedthisland-lockedrepublicfromthe Republicof Sudan.Leadinguptothe
referendum,there wasalongand bloodycivil warand,since then,the variousfactionsinside the
newcountryhave turnedon eachotherwithunrestrainedviolence.There have been lotsof cease-
fires– the most recentwassignedonMay 9 – and all have been“celebrated”withfreshoutbreaks
of indiscriminatebloodshed.
Hundredsof thousandshave fledtoneighbouringcountries;tensof thousandshave died.The
variousfactionsandsub-factionsall have titlesmakingveryliberaluse of wordslike “democratic”
“people’s”“liberation”and“freedom”althoughmypersonal favourite isthe Lord’sResistanceArmy.
I’mnot at all sure if theyare resistingthe Lordor if theyare resistingonbehalf of the Lordand, very
possibly,theydon’tknowthemselves.

2. Lots of these groupsare tribal inoriginandmany are just criminal gangs.
The latestwomen’speace initiative shouldnotbe confusedwiththe RootsProjectwhichbeings
SouthSudanese womentogethertomake andsell traditional handicrafts.There isnoneedatall for
any tasteless,prurient“wink,wink”wordplays.
If you believedthe officialwebsite of the Republicof SouthSudan,the countryistrulyblessed.
His ExcellencySalvaKiirMayarditisPresident,Chairmanof the SudanPeople’sLiberationMovement
and CommanderinChief of the SudanPeople’sLiberationArmyandwhata noble sort of chap he is.
It isofficiallynoted,“Heis a teetotaller and non-smokerwith remarkablemilitary and political
experienceand qualities. He wasinvolved in the peacenegotiationswhich ended theyears of civil
war(yes,officiallythere isnocivil war whateverabunchof complainingwomenmightclaim),right
fromthe beginning.Hisleadership qualities and experiencehaveearned him respect in the Republic
of SouthSudan aswell as frompoliticiansin theSudan.He is also a respected statesman in the
region,Africa and beyond.”
And,reallyhittingtheirstraps,the governmentspindoctorsreallyuppedthe ante. “Indeed,many
political analystsand opinion leadersworld-widedescribehim asthe Biblical Joshua who tookthe
mantleof leadership from Mosesjustasthe Israeliteswere on theverge of entering Canaan and
capably established thethen fugitivesin the Promised Land.”
By golly,TonyAbbott’sPRteamhave got a verylongway to go tobeat that modestbiography.
Andhavingreadthat, I can well understandwhyMrsMayardit hasn’tlenthersupportto the sex
strike ladies.