A local female artist in Lakes state is using her music to advocate for girl child education in rural communities. She is known by her stage name, “Aliab Wifi,” and her real name is Dorcas Nyangeth.
The artist is concerns about girls being left behind and only boys can decide their future in their community which she said is against the success of young girls.
The word “Aliab” is a subdivision of the Dinka tribe in Lakes state traditionally lived in an area west of the upper White Nile River.
The name is also used to refer to a breed of cattle maintained by the Aliab Dinka people and widespread in the region.
Aliab Wifi (Musician) said she would use her voice to empower girls kept at cattle camps, blocking their access to education.
Ms. Dorcas speaks to Mingkaman FM, saying she will compose more songs to promote education, peace and discouraging girls from being neglected.
Pastoralists communities in South Sudan keep girls purposely to bring more dowry to the family, which she said is wrong.
“Am calling on my community to send girls to schools together with boys. Educatedgirls are resourceful compared to uneducated ones in terms of employment, so you send girls to school at an early age,” she emphasized.
One of the residents in the Mingkaman area is Joseph Nyuan. He expressed gratitude for the call to empower girls through education, saying that he had sent his eight daughters to school.
“It is a brilliant idea, and I want to appreciate our artist for embarking on this call. I have started sending my eight daughters to school, and I am pressed to hear this once again.”
Majak Malakal, a resident of Padaar in Mingkaman, says the community is beginning to change from the old concept of keeping girls for dowry, saying there is a need to increase awareness as Nyangeth Did.
“Though we see in some places that communities begin to value girl child education, there is need to embark on education through awareness creation like what our artist is doing.”
The famous female artist plans to organize a peace music concert in Mingkaman this weekend.
The UN Children’s agency, UNICEF, reported 2 million children are out of school in South Sudan. Most of them happen to be girls living in pastoral communities, moving with their cattle, and cannot attend regular classes.
In 2020, Food and Agriculture Organization introduced cattle camp schools in the classroom and via radio in Lakes State.