Akuol de Mabior tells his South Sudan, a very political family story

Akuol de Mabior, South Sudanese director of "No Simple Way Home", presented in world premiere at the Berlinale 2022. © Siegfried Forster / RFI

Text by: Siegfried Forster Follow

8 mins

Can one be both judge and party?

Akuol de Mabior was 16 when his father, John Garang, historic leader of the war of independence against Sudan, died in a helicopter crash in 2005. His mother has been vice-president of South Sudan since 2020, which since its founding in 2011 is almost always in civil war.

In

, presented until February 20 in world premiere at the Berlinale 2022, the director tries a double portrait of her family and her country.

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Akuol of Mabior

For me, he was a very good father and someone I spent time with as a father and daughter.

He was someone who helped me with my homework, who explained life to his daughter.

But all the while, he was also the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and a giant in the imagination of the Sudanese people.

This continued until today.

He was killed in 2005 in a helicopter crash as he began to deliver on the SPLM's promise of freedom for the people of the South and self-determination.

His life was cut short just when things seemed about to change for the better.

It created an even bigger character.

And in the eyes of the people the idea of ​​a hero was born.

But for me today

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And who is he today for the eleven million inhabitants of South Sudan

Many people describe him as a founding father.

There is a statue of him in the middle of the capital and his portrait is on their currency.

He is considered a great liberator.  

You said he was

Officially, it was an accident.

There are obviously theories, because of the timing [

], but I can't be sure.

Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior in “No Simple Way Home” by her daughter Akuol de Mabior.

© LBx Africa

The title of your film is

.

Who are you in this movie

I am the director, the filmmaker, the person behind the camera, but also a subject in all of this, because the film is about my mother.

My mother returned to politics after losing her husband.

It was out of the question for me to always stay behind the camera, even if I was tempted to do so.

Although I am also a subject.

The film is also in search of a South Sudanese identity.

It's complicated, because the country is only ten years old and has been at war with itself for most of its short history.

For that, I am behind the camera, in front of the camera, researching what it means to feel at home in South Sudan.

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You are South Sudanese, but you were born and raised outside Sudan, partly because your father often worked abroad.

Today, where is your house, what is your country today

I live in Nairobi and it's true, I never lived in South Sudan or Sudan at the time.

It was in Nairobi that I went to school, from the age of six until the baccalaureate.

My base is in Nairobi even now.

Nairobi and Kenya is what I remember most from my childhood.

The film takes place ten years after the independence of South Sudan.

Many observers consider that the situation today is worse than before independence.

The civil war has caused more than 400,000

I wouldn't say it's more important or less important.

I just don't think I can speak for people who have completely different experiences than mine.

I would prefer people to speak for themselves: they have stories, they are able to speak for themselves.

In my future projects, I would like to focus on the people of South Sudan, especially the young women supporting their families.

But I don't want to speak on behalf of people.

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The movie focuses a lot on your mother, Rebecca Nyandeng of Mabior.

She is the widow of the independence hero, but she also served as a minister after your father died.

As of 2020, she is one of the Vice Presidents of South Sudan.

Don't you think a lot of people who will see the film will say that she is also responsible for the very bad situation in the country today

I think she is ready for this challenge.

She is part of this government that is struggling to keep its promises and she recognizes it.

Even in the film, she confesses the fact that mistakes were made.

One of the first things she said was that an apology should be made to the people.

I think she's not afraid to challenge.

She is not shy about talking about these really difficult realities and the consequences of the decisions made by the people in these positions.

Yes, she is in a position where decisions have big consequences.

She could have said, “ 

But she decided that ultimately she might be able to make things better from within.

Even if it is difficult and a very big challenge.

The Garang de Mabior family in the film “No Simple Way Home” by South Sudanese director Akuol de Mabior.

© LBx Africa

Why weren't there also critical voices about politics in general and about your mother in particular

A movie is limited.

He can't tell everything.

I did it within the limits of my perspective.

In the future, I hope to explore other paths as well.

But we can't make a film that talks about everything and everyone.

There are limits.

You can't tell the whole story in such a short time, one hour and twenty minutes.

But I hope we told another side of the story and I came to terms with my subjectivity.

I'm not authoritative, I'm not the voice of God, or anything like that.

And in its own way, that has value, too.

Among the first producers and financiers of your film is the South African production company Steps, and a Kenyan producer, Light Box Africa.

Who will see

in South Sudan?

It will certainly be shown in the capital, but we would also like to go outside.

We are working on it.

We would really like the people of South Sudan to see it.

We don't want to make a film that would be inaccessible to the people it's about.

One of our producers has expertise in bringing cinema to areas that don't have as many resources or don't have the infrastructure for cinema.

How did you experience the Berlinale

The first was amazing.

The whole day was an amazing experience.

Even to come here.

There was so much goodwill.

We're just thrilled to tell a story about South Sudan that's different from the ones we're used to...

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