December 8, 2012
Dear Comrades of the Media,
Re: INVITATION FOR THE USTASS ANNUAL ‘SUPER SUPPER’ (DINER) IN TRIBUTES TO THE FALLEN COLLEAGUE, ISAIAH ABRAHAM, AT KUSH RESORT, JUBA, ON WEDNESDAY, 12-12-12
On behalf of USTASS (United Scribes, Teachers & Artists of South Sudan), I take this honour to recognize and invite you among the many hundreds of media kindreds that matter in our new republic. Given the fact that many of our youth today are painfully seeing their latent talent evaporating with age from their brains and their right to write rotting in their throats with rage against the system that seems to hamper their natural abilities and national capabilities, USTASS and partners hereby regret and condemn the unfortunate incident in the history of our freedom fighting, the brutal killing of our colleague, Isaiah Abraham (Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan), who was shot dead at his residence in the 5th night of December this year.
The two-in-one event runs on two themes of tributes to media comrades and the launch of the South Sudan first book expo and literary talent contest, viz:
a)- Rioting in Writing with Violence in Silence: (Tributes to fallen pressmen and penmen)
b)- Good Readers make Good Leaders: 2012 in Review and 2013 in Preview
1- Eulogy to the late Isaiah Abraham
As intellectual community (writers, journalists, artists, advocates and civil rights activists) of South Sudan, it is our moral duty to eulogize our comrades that have been persecuted in action, especially the late Isaiah Abraham. The tributes to him with other heroes of the campaign such as our civil society activist, Wiyual Manytap, who has been missing for the last three weeks, will include:
- reading Isaiah Abraham’s biography
- reciting poetry
- Performing thematic music from our local artists
- Reviewing his essays
- And fundraising for the publishing of the best of his essays and of his fellow penmen under the title ‘RIOTING BY WRITING: 101 Tributes to Isaiah Abraham and Other Pressmen and penmen of South Sudan’.
NB: This Essay Book will be published and launched on the day of the First South Sudan Book Expo (January 31, 2013) and the proceeds will be used for furthering the education of one of his children or any other cause deemed necessary by the committee.
2- The launch of the Book and Literary Talent Expo
(please see details attached or on our weblog: www.ustassgroup.wordpress.com)
It is a fact well known that by the end of every year, there is a review of the outgoing year and a preview of the incoming year. South Sudanese will see a thrill in the review of the Year 2012 and a trill into the preview of the Year 2013 these two months of December and January. There will be a series of serious literary rites beginning with ‘The Triple Twelve’ event in Juba. This is a unique day for USTASS and its talent promotion associates organizing several multi-talent activities in 12 festivities to be launched on 12-12-12 and announced and awarded on 31-1-13, respectively.
The detailed program of the event on Wednesday, 7.00PM to 10.00PM will be availed shortly. Please come to Kush Resort, opposite Bros Hotel, along the Nile, and take not of the following:
1- Entry Fee: Free
2- Dinner: 50% subsidized (courtesy of Kush Resort and USTASS)
3- Nominate an essay, poem, book or any other piece of writing from the writer of your choice to be entered into the selection of the best 101 essays in tributes of our fallen media heroes, to be published in ‘Rioting by Writing’, an essay collection book to be launched during the book fair in January, and whose proceeds will support one orphaned school child of the late Isaiah Abraham.
4- Donate in our ‘Book Harambee’ to support a poem, an essay or a book to be published and launched during the Book fair on 31 January, 2013. USTASS is publishing two essay books, one poetry book, two magazines and others to be launched during the Book Expo and Talent Extra day in January next year.
NB: If, due to this too short notice, you are not able to attend but willing to participate in those activities in kind or in cash, please, contact the undersigned for more details.
Looking forwards to fighting by writing with you in South Sudan.
Yours Sincerely,
John Penn de Ngong
Executive Director, USTASS
Tel. 0955 235 997 or 0977 404 444.
Personal e-addresses:
E-mail: penndengong@gmail.com
Weblog: www.weakleak.wordpress.com)
Corporate e-addresses:
E-mail: ustass.sudan@gmail.com
Weblog: (www.ustassgroup.wordpress.com)
USTASS 