Kajo-keji as the Home of the Kuku

Transformation of Place through Peoples’ Migration in the Two Sudans

Abstract

Following the end of the second Sudanese Civil War（1985-2003）, those living as refugees both inside and outside Sudan have become aware of the imminent approach of their repatriation. However, it is not simply a matter of returning home, as both the people and the place have been changed by the war.

Anthropologists have shown that the relationship between humans and a place—especially ‘home’ —has the qualities of plurality and flexibility. At the same time, they have established that ‘the home’ is ultimately important for people. The question of how that situation has developed, though, has not been answered. How is a homeland defined? How can it be ‘the place of return’ for people who have experienced migration?

This paper explains the process by which the Kuku, an ethnic group in South Sudan, have come to recognize Kajo-keji as their home. The author sheds light on that process by citing the experience of the Kuku’s repeated migrations. She then presents several cases in which people who have repatriated to Kajokeji from elsewhere have renewed their view of Kajo-keji, finding their home through their lives there. The author attempts to answer the aforementioned questions through the case studies.

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