27/04/2026
The Land of Tonj
Written By Madit Malou
The land its people refuse —
Vultures inherit it in broad daylight.
The Land of Tonj,
A land I was told belongs to the brave.
It is where Wanh-alel custom was first established.
It is where great leaders were born.
Is it you?
The land that eats its people,
Or where is that land really?
Where are you?
Is this the land that loves blood,
That cracks itself open to drink it?
You were once a healthy land.
I ask: where have you been taken?
Or is it true you have worn out your worth?
Some say Tonj is cursed. Its people too.
That its ancestors were all burnt to ash.
We move like a millipede,
Half blind, asking:
Where are our ancestors? Where is our land?
If people die forever,
What of the God of Tonj?
Is this a land owned by a deaf God?
Or did our God sell it to earthly merchants,
So it must be cleared,
Prepared to sow new people —
The vultures standing now?
Our eyes ran dry two years ago.
We want to know:
Is Tonj the place where Jesus will begin
His coming to give justice?
The Land of Tonj,
Tell us: were you exchanged overnight?
The look in your soil denies its origin.
Even trees fall heavy,
Taking part in finishing your children.
The Land of Tonj,
If Tonj North equals Tonj East,
And Tonj South equals Tonj North —
Then where is the land that belongs to them?
Our elders passed it down for generations:
Tonj is holy. Tonj has legacy.
It is wise and responsible.
But holy on the ground without people —
What holiness is that?
Holy for crimes against humanity,
Or holy for the prostitution of our hearts?
So hear me, sons and daughters of Tonj:
Let the vultures starve.
Let the river Honia of our blood run dry.
Bury the spear. Break the cycle.
The land cannot be holy if its children are graves.
Tonj, rise — not as North or South or East,
But as one people, under Tonj Trinity,
To seize this war, silence the guns,
And give the soil back its ancestors.
Let bravery mean peace now.
Let legacy mean life.
Disclaimer: This poem is originally of the author and it stands solely as it meant to be.
MAYACWA TV has no legal standing but is safe to amplify voices that advocate for peace in any available means.
