I left South Sudan as a refugee many years ago. After living in Ethiopia, I came to Canada more than ten years ago. Leaving home isn’t easy. Even if you’re forced to leave by disasters or by war, it’s not easy. You miss so many things from home. Still, you have to try to integrate in a new culture. There was a lot of culture shock from things I had never seen, and a lot of barriers I had to face. 

But language is such an important connection to culture. And there’s a big Sudanese community here in Ottawa, so you can find people who speak different South Sudanese languages. I have people I can talk to in my mother tongue, Nuer, and when I call my mom we speak in Dinka. If you don’t use your language, it disappears. You lose a whole part of your culture. 

That’s why, as the Executive Director of the Association for South Sudanese Languages Institute, I make sure there are all kinds of resources for the South Sudanese community in Ottawa to keep, or to learn, their languages and other parts of their culture. We work at the grassroots level and we start with language. There are kids who were born here, or came to Canada very young. It’s so easy for them to lose their language. That cultural gap can bring misunderstandings with their parents, but learning their language can help bring them closer.

We also create cultural materials and put on shows and events. We’ve done cultural cooking introductions to teach kids how to make our traditional food. And we have a homework lab to help keep kids in school. We work hard to look after the wellbeing of our community. We encounter a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to getting the resources we need to help our community thrive. But Canada is a multicultural country. People love to see our culture grow, and Ottawa is a beautiful family city where you can raise your children. 

I keep a lot of things from my culture with me too. At home, we have a lot of cultural pieces, like plaques and decorations. I have a bracelet my dad gave me before he passed away. And because I grew up in Ethiopia, I like to go to the many Ethiopian restaurants in Ottawa. I don’t think there’s a Sudanese restaurant, but my wife is an excellent cook. Whenever we have an event, there’s a lot of delicious traditional food. 

For any new immigrants in Ottawa, my advice is to be patient, learn, and listen. Also build your connections. Get out there and talk to people – those that you know or those you don’t know – and your time will come. It’s not easy. You might come with high expectations and feel down. Some people come with skills they learned back home and they get here and find them useless. But it’s just a matter of time and connection. 

Your time will come. That’s the big thing. 

To connect with John, visit: https://www.assli.org/index.html