Eulogy in Remembrance of Honorable Manawa Peter Gatkuoth
By Stephen Par Kuol
Haile to the soul called Marnath! What an indispensable life in our lives! Comrade Maar, we are because you are and you are because we are on this odyssey to the Promised Land. We can never be the same vivacious institution you knew without your commanding physical presence and that magnificent vocal oratory.
The invincible ogre called death has robbed us of your young precious life and selfless services; it orphaned some of us, widowed some of us and denied friends a loyal courtier (myself included). So, veering off like this is an enigma of a lifetime. In truth, we don’t even know when our consciences will fathom and accept that you are physically no more.
Comrade Maar, you braved it on with a big smile on your enchanting posture and valorous composure, but in anguish, you left us chasing your soul like a wind with agonizing vanity. Please, take a deep scan down to see the hole your untimely departure has left on the psyche of the nation you loved and loved you so much!!
In bidding farewell to you son of the soil, one can only call upon the people of this great nation, especially the youth, to pick up the spear that has fallen and assume the responsibility of filling the gigantic vacuum you have left behind. May your tenacious spirit continue to dredge the weeds of prejudice against the projects you championed on the River of God (Nile) and its bountiful tributaries!
Those who shared trenches, dorms, playgrounds classrooms, or boardrooms with you have known that you always run your races with speed, perseverance, tenacity, zeal, and solemn discipline. Thence, it leaves no doubt in our grieving minds that you have instantly joined the heavenly fleets with your usual speed and now flying on the high with the angels of God.
Haile to your virtuous name, which literally means kinship, friendship, or conciliation in your mother’s Thok Nath!! Maar, may this omnipresent name of yours live on as the omen of hope for peace and reconciliation in your beloved country! May your conciliatory persona continue to mend the rifts on the broken social fabric of our society in the ongoing quest for holistic healing!
Being the prolific poet, the orator, and the giant of the letters that you are, no poetry in any human language can eulogize your heroic soul with perfection as you would do yourself. One can only make a juvenile attempt like I am doing here at Simba Square with a trembling voice and my own terraces of tears as the ink on this paper
Haile to your towering name Ya Zeim (Chief) as we used to call you!). From here, be assured that you are loved and missed as you continue to rest in eternal peace and power.
