South Sudan

Famous South Sudanese People: South Sudanese Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

As the country recently gained its independence, a number of people from South Sudan are gaining more prominence, after decades of oppression and civil wars. Others have already made a name for themselves but their names were included in the list of famous Sudanese rather than labeled specifically as South Sudanese. With their independence it is expected that more South Sudanese will be recognized for their exceptional talent and their contributions to their country.

:: List of Famous People from South Sudan ::

Alek Wek
Long before her home country became independent, Alex Wek has already made a name for herself in the fashion world. She was born on April 16, 1977. Her mother is a homemaker and her father was an education official. They are from the Dinka tribe. The war in South Sudan caused them to flee the country and they moved to Britain in 1991. Alek later established residence in the United States.

She was discovered by a talent scout from Model 1 in London and gained attention when she was included in the 1995 music video Tina Turner did for the James Bond film, Golden Eye. She became one of the Ford Models in 1996. She also appeared in the Janet Jackson music video for the song Got ‘Til It’s Gone in 1996. In 1997 Alek was named by MTV as their Model of the Year. She became the first African model to grace the cover of the fashion magazine, Elle in 1997. Alek had done advertisements for several top fashion clothing and cosmetic brands and had modeled for some of the top fashion designers like Chanel, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Christian Lacroix and John Galliano. She also has a line of designer bags which she herself designed, under her label Wek 1933.

Alek Wek devotes part of her time for humanitarian work. She is an ambassador for the Doctors Without Borders; works for UNICEF as well as spends time to work as a World Vision missionary. She is also a member of the US Committee for Refugees Advisory Council.

Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal recalls that he was born sometime in 1980. He became a child soldier during the second civil war in South Sudan. His father was a fighter with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. When his mother died in the war when he was seven years old, he and his fellow children fled to Ethiopia because they were told that they will be able to go to school there. They were actually trained to become child soldiers. He began fighting the Muslims in Ethiopia and later in South Sudan, until disillusion set in when he was about 11 years old and he and some of this fellow child soldiers fled.

When he reached the village of Waat, Emmanuel Jal met Emma McCune, an aid worker from Britain who adopted him and brought him to Kenya secretly. Emma McCune wanted him to get an education and was sent to school in Nairobi. It was unfortunate that Emma died too early but Emma’s friends, Anna Ledgard and Madeleine Bunting helped so Emmanuel can stay in school, even if he had to live in the slums because Emma’s husband refused to allow Emmanuel to stay with him. While in school, Emmanuel started singing to alleviate his pain and discovered hip hop music. With positive encouragement from people around him, he began to concentrate on his music, with his music focused on political issues and his own story.

His first album, Gua, which he produced, was a mix of Arabic, Swahili, Dinka, Nuer and English rap lyrics. Although his introduction to rap music was through the American brand of rap, Emmanuel’s music had a definite African beat. The title track Gua became an instant hit in Kenya. It was followed by his second single, War Child, with a rap-soul-world music mix. His second album, released in September 2005 was entitled Ceasefire. His songs were getting airplay in the United States as well, with a new version of Gua being part of the soundtrack for the end of Season 12 of the hit US TV series, ER.

Emmanuel Jal had performed in 2005 at the Live 8 Cornwall concert; received an American Gospel Music Award as best international talent in 2005 and part of the all-star assembly of performers during the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela that was held on June 27, 2008 at the Hyde Park in London.

Deng Gai
Deng Gai was born on March 22, 1982 in Wau, South Sudan. He was a professional basketball player who used to be with the NBA, playing as a power forward. He stands 6 feet 9 inches. He attended Connecticut’s Milford Academy then Fairfield University where he played college basketball. He was awarded the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year three times and ranked 8th on the NCAA’s all-time list of players with most blocked shots made when he graduated. Gai played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 and also played for Wilmington Sea Dawgs (ABA) and Dodge City Legend for USBL. He also played with the Albany Patroons (USBL) and represented Slask Wroclaw of Poland in 2007-2008. He is currently (2011) playing for Palangos Naglis.

Luol Deng
Luol Deng was born in Wau, South Sudan on April 16, 1985. He is a member of the Dinka tribe. He and his family relocated to Egypt to escape the second civil war in South Sudan. He received training in basketball from another South Sudanese and also a Dinka, Manute Bol who played in the NBA. They were granted asylum and moved to Brixton, a district in South London and later played for the Brixton Basketball Club. At age 13 he was part of the England team that participated in the European Junior Men’s Qualifying Tournament and earned an MVP award. He was also instrumental in the finals appearance of England in the European Junior National Tournament. He also earned another MVP award in that tournament.

He moved to the United States when he was 15 years old and enrolled in Blair Academy in New Jersey on a basketball scholarship then attended Duke University for one year. He entered the NBA Draft in 2004 and was picked by Phoenix Suns but was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. His 2008 contract with the Chicago Bulls was US$71 million and including incentives, he was expected to receive a total of about US$80 million. Deng Luol is involved in many charities, including working for the Lost Boys of Sudan. He also toured with the NBA under the Basketball Without Borders and is a spokesperson for the World Food Programme of the United Nations.

Yaba Angelosi
Yaba Angelosi was born in Juba, South Sudan. His family moved to the United States in 2000. He is now based in the United States. He is a talented professional entertainer and singer and had performed in front of distinguished guests at exclusive places like the White House and Howard University. He also performed during the CPA celebration of Sudan held in Washington, D.C.

Emmanuel Kembe
Like many of his compatriots, Emmanuel Kembe left Sudan because of the war. His songs of protest caused him to be driven out of Southern Sudan and he went to the United States where he continued to write and records songs for justice, peace and freedom for South Sudan. His music is along the reggae, folk and Afro-pop genre. He belongs to the Gbaya ethnic group located in the Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

Manute Bol
Manute Bol was born on October 16, 1962. He was the son of a tribal chief belonging to the Dinka tribe. Manute was one of the tallest players in the NBA, with a height measuring 7 feet and 7 inches. Officially, from the measurement done by the Guinness Book of World Records, Manute’s height is recorded as 7 feet and 6 ¾ inches. Manute was specially known for his shot blocking skills when he was playing in the NBA, achieving many shot blocking records. He was the mentor of another South Sudanese NBA player, Luol Deng. He was invited to move to the United States on a basketball scholarship and played for the University of Bridgeport.

Bol was drafted to the NBA by the Washington Bullets and since then had played for different NBA teams in a career that spanned 10 years. After spending 1985 to 1988 with the Washington Bullets he played for the Golden State Warriors for two seasons from 1988 to 1990 where he shot three pointers almost regularly. Manute Bol then spent three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers then played eight games in his one-season stint with Miami Heat.

Towards the end of his career he played four games in the 1993-1994 season with Philadelphia 76ers before signing up with the Golden State Warriors for the second time in the 1994-1995 season.

In his 10-year career playing in the NBA, he amassed 1,599 points, 2,086 blocks and 2,647 rebounds in 624 games. His average per game was 3.3 blocks, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 points and 0.3 assists.

Manute Bol also supported several charities during his career and basically donated most of his earnings in support of the welfare of Sudanese people in general. He founded the Ring True Foundation, which was aimed at helping raise funds to support refugees from Sudan. He got seriously wounded in a car accident in 2004 when he was thrown out of a taxi he was riding in when the taxi driver, who was found out to be driving under the influence, overturned after his taxi hit a guardrail. Manute broke his neck during the accident. Manute died on June 19, 2010 from acute kidney failure as well as complications from Stevens-Johnson syndrome. His remains were interred in Sudan.

:: References ::
http://celebratesouthsudan.tumblr.com/post/7352969942/south-sudanese-music
http://en.wikipedia.org/