­The week of the referendum in Shendi- 

Saturday the 8th of January 2011

I received a call from my friend Abdul Rahman, I was not asked but instructed (;-))to join him  for the henna painting on his hands. Though I was tired, Lykke was to exhausted to join me, I ventured across the campus and joint him and Fatima (one of our first friends here in Shendi- whom I had not seen much off recently), she was the deciding factor for me to actually join them for what turned into an interesting night.

 The male students apply Henna on their palms, finger tips and knuckles for their graduation. Originally Henna for men is used in wedding celebrations for the groom, but as tradition changes it is now also used at graduations. I actually don’t know whether they applied it for other celebrations but from observations I have made men only seem to use it for weddings and graduations.

After I watched Abdul Rahman getting his hands covered in Henna in the picturesque setting of live Eaut ( Sudanese guitar) music and candle light and him dancing with his fellow graduates we decided to join a graduation celebration that was going on at the theatre of the university. 

The students graduate according to the regions they come from and not their subjects. This evening it was the graduations of the Southerners. Apart from my friend Thomas I did not realize that there are quite a few Southerners in Shendi. It was Augustino’s gradutation- Abdul Rahman’s good friend. The dress code was different to previous celebrations- which was to be expected as most Southerners are Christians or of other religions so that the strict dress code does not apply. The mood was definitely different, with the party organised by the SPLA representatives in Shendi- ( this is what one of my students explained) there were quite a few political statements which were shouted when the students were carried down the fairy light lit path to the stage. Augustino asked me to walk with him up to the stage, that he would be honoured. So I decided to throw my utter discomfort about drawing any attention to myself over board and do him the favour.  Apart from out one off at the Kordofan ( region south of Khartoum) celebration, where we forced to go on stage and “contribute”, I had managed to stay clear of getting myself into anything like this. Abdul Rahman convinced me that it would make his evening so I stopped thinking about my discomfort and hobbled along, of course only after the political shouts calmed down. One should stay clear of being associated with any political movement. Especially the night before the referendum kicks off. 

So was walking along with Augustino with his family and flicking my fingers, shouting “abshir” an eventually even had to walk on stage with him, being congratulated to the degree of my friend by some representatives of the party and the regions the students came from. His aunt had come from Abyee, the town which was going to face the massive challenge which comes with being a future border town and oil rich on top. She must have travelled a few days to get here. She was so so proud, and Augustino so happy, that I realized after a while that I completely was proud of a young man I just met who finished his degree and almost emotional about it. 

In the midst of it my friend Thomas suddenly appeared whom I though of being at his parents house but he had just returned from there and was ready to celebrate with his fellow students their achievements. 

As I was watching the rest of the students graduate and walking their walk up to the stage, I became quite emotional, there was such a diversity. The people from different back grounds were celebrating together and were full of joy, dancing and cheering for one another. Would this all disappear, not only because of the different states but also because of the announced Shari’a law enforcement once the states are separated. Students and friends who had belonged to one country would now be from different states. Would this trouble their friendships and what would happen to the diversity of which I was able to witness so much, even in Shendi which is known for being a very conservative town?

Would the freedom they had gained over the restrictions before the CPA in 2005 be lost again?