Voting For Freedom

Today, the people of Sudan were given an extraordinary choice: to vote for or against secession. When nightfall arrived, people began lining up to vote even before the polls opened, eager to express their desire for independence, which was clearly the "overwhelming popular choice." The entire scene was painted with enthusiasm and joy as people played music, sang, skipped, laughed, kissed, exchanged high fives, and danced.
As you can probably already infer, this is a very important day for southern Sudan. The region has been faced with the evils and tragedy of the country's civil war for years, which has resulted in the displacement of over 4 million of the southern Sudanese people, as well as millions of deaths. This poll is their chance to free themselves from the hands of war and put the past behind them so that they can begin living their lives the way that they want to without any fear or corruption. According to NY Times, "many people here spoke in almost biblical terms about lifting themselves out of bondage." I can only imagine how extremely exhilarating this must be for them.
In regards to the ballot itself, it consists of two pictures. One picture of is of "two clasped hands", representing the unity of north and south Sudan. The other picture is of a "single open hand," representing south Sudan's secession. The ballot was made this way because over 3/4 of southern Sudanese adults are unable to read.
Susan Duku, a worker for the United Nations, informed the NY Times representative that her choice was easy: "Separation...One hundred percent, plus." Along with Mrs. Duku, others expressed that their vote would be for independence, as well. Jacob Garang, a 27-year old who used to be a child soldier when he was 12, happily said that, "This is one of the unique days in my life. I have to thank God that I am alive and that I found this day and I found myself in it."
I am very positive that southern Sudan will receive the independence that they deserve once all the ballots are in, and I am happy that they were all given this chance at a new life.