About Us.
The Abek Community is one of the Dinka clans of the Sudan belonging to Eastern Dinka call Bor, geographically located in Jongulei State, Southern Sudan. The Abek Community belongs to Lith Payam (Lith District) and its district town is called Wernyol. The Abek Community has major section groups, namely: Roordior, Pagueng, and Pan-Aleu section. According to the statistics of 1972, the Abek Community was estimated with population of 10,000. But during 21 years of civil war between Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and Khartoum regime (Arab Militia), the Abek community lost almost half of its population; a quarter of its population is displaced in different parts of the world. The Sons and Daughters of the Abek Community in united bravery fought the Khartoum regime to stop the oppression of the Khartoum government against Africans and Christian groups. During the war era, the Abek Community experienced extensive suffering, mourning and sorrow. The Abek Community has seen killing and destruction of its commonwealth such as: shelters, medical centers, water systems and schools as well as massive killing of its cattle and destruction of the agricultural by the Khartoum government.
The Abek Community practices the same culture as other Dinka tribe communities. The main cultural practices are wrestling, dancing, marriage, age groups, etc.
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The Sudanese live by communities within tribes. The Abek community has members living all over the United States; we are based in Illinois. Most of us are refugees; many of us are part of a larger group of young men known collectively as the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan, whose homes and villages and families were destroyed in the civil war that broke out in the 1980s and continued for more than 2 decades. Since 2001, about 4000 of the Lost Boys and Girls have been brought to the United States where we work and pursue our educations. A peace agreement between the government in the north and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement in the south was signed in January 2005. We now must rebuild our country. |
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Due to a long civil war between SPLM/A and Khartoum regime, most of the cultural practices were nearly lost, but the Abek Community members encouraged and promoted conferences among themselves to sustain cultural practices.
Before the war, Abek Community was (and still is) a self-sufficient community although the war caused much damage. The socio-economic focus of the Abek Community was in keeping cattle and rearing crops, but today every thing is gone.
The Abek community is one of the best known by Sudanese because of its ancestral history, which claims they came from above with cattle. Before Christianity reached Dinka lands, the Abek Community was recognized by a powerful prophet who at one time competed with some of the Dinka prophets, finally he defeating them and becoming a well known prophet. It has been clear that Abek community was one of the first communities to find Christianity along the Sud swarm area.
In the United States
Abek Community members are living all over the United States. It is a diverse community comprised of families and Lost Boys and Girls; 30% of the 89 Lost Girls came from Abek Community.
Members of Abek Community during conference at Dallas TX.
November 26, 2005.