As the Republic of South Sudan celebrated its first Independence Day on Saturday, some of the new country's most far-flung expatriates gathered in Anchorage to sing a new national anthem and raise a new flag.
Sudanese refugees and their children packed into a gymnasium at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Fairview to cheer on dancers, chat with friends and neighbors and celebrate a milestone for the people back in their native land 7,800 miles away.
"We want you to know, you may be away from the motherland, but you are home," said Shiloh's Rev. Alonzo Patterson, addressing the crowd.
Kids were everywhere. They played on the floor, giggled, cried, squirmed and climbed on chairs and adults as the dignitaries spoke. In Sudan, more than 10 percent of them would have died before their fifth birthday. In Anchorage, the little ones sat in nearly every lap, some on the legs of their school-age sisters. A group of pre-teen and teenage boys played outside.
Out front, Jino Kak, Morgan Wani and Deng Badeng stood by the door greeting the attendees. Though their professed connection to South Sudan is strong, the three men now call Anchorage home. They reached Alaska through different routes.
"I left Sudan when I was a baby," said Wani, who was born in Juba, the new capital of South Sudan, about 40 years ago, he said.
Wani's been back to visit, he said, most recently for three weeks in January when 99 percent of South Sudan voted to become a sovereign country.
"Some people thought it would happen not in their time," Wani said. "It was a struggle, step by step."
"Everyone is hoping for the future to have a better life," Kak said. In Alaska, Kak said, "At least you can make a family and work you way up," he said.
Martin C. Wur, a tall man wearing a bright red suit, said he and other Sudanese in Anchorage will always remember their new country's first Independence Day.
"We'll never forget, for our life," Wur said. "From today onward, I'm from South Sudan."
By CASEY GROVE
casey.grove@adn.com