Fires

We are currently in “dry season” here in South Sudan. The rains stopped a few weeks ago and it will not rain again until around April or May. We learned this week that one thing people do in dry season is burn their farms. Burning their land is the quickest way to clear it and to be able to prepare the land for the next farming season.  They usually burn their land at nighttime and let it run its course until it stops.The problem with burning land here is that it is hard to monitor a fire and stop it if it is going to far.

Each night, we have seen fires around our house. Usually, the fires die down before they get too close. However, on Thursday night, our closest neighbors lit their land on fire. They did not monitor the fire closely and it kept coming closer and closer to our compound. We were all watching it closely and were able to put it out with branches when it got within about 40 yrds of our house. It was pretty easy to put out at that point and nothing was damaged. Everyone was totally fine and it didn't cause any harm at all. 

Crazy, isn’t it?! To us, burning a large plot of land without controlling it well seems crazy, but it is a part of their culture and they do it for a reason.  We are learning that the best thing we can do is continue to work to understand the culture rather than complain about it and try to change it. They do what they have to in order to survive here, and even when it seems strange to us, they have their reasons. So, we will continue to love our neighbors well- and keep our fire-fighting branches handy ;).