Past Event

The Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, is pleased to present:

 South Sudan: Its 1st year of independence & beyond

A two-part event with Matthew LeRiche (LSE)

When: Thursday July 19, 2012

 3:30-7 pm

Where: Arts Lounge, 2017 Dunton Tower, Carleton University*

i) 3:30-4:45, A talk and discussion based on Dr. LeRiche’s new coauthored book, South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence

ii) 5 – 7 pm, A screening of The World’s Youngest Nation: South Sudan with a Q & A afterwards

Matthew LeRiche has a PhD from King’s College London and has been living and working in South Sudan and the region since 2004. He is currently a Fellow in Managing Humanitarianism at the London School of Economics.

South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence (2012, Hurst) by Matthew Arnold and Matthew LeRiche details the history of the struggle in Sudan that led to the emergence of South Sudan in July 2011 and the continued violence and problems in this new nation with the regime in Khartoum aiding and abetting factionalism to keep the new state weak and vulnerable. Achieving a durable peace will be a massive challenge, and resolving the issues that so inflamed Southerners historically – unsupportive governance, broad feelings of exploitation and marginalisation and fragile ethnic politics – will determine South Sudan’s success or failure at statehood. A story of transformation and of victory against the odds, this book reviews South Sudan’s modern history as a contested region and assesses the political, social and security dynamics that will shape its immediate future as Africa’s newest independent state.

The World’s Youngest Nation: South Sudan (2011, directed by Viktor Pesenti and co-written by Matthew LeRiche): After 60 years of civil war, the Republic of South Sudan has emerged as the world’s youngest nation. The World’s Youngest Nation: South Sudan, filmed on location in the Republic of South Sudan, explores the emergence of a new nation from civil war. South Sudan faces many hurdles, not only is it the world’s newest nation but it is also one of its youngest, with 70 percent the population being under 30 years of age. Yet it is the youth who give South Sudan hope. Through the eyes of five Southern Sudanese youths, this documentary explores not just the politics of South Sudan but also the creativity and courage of its youth in art, music, sports and education.

* for a campus map, please go to: http://carleton.ca/campus/