Former Child Soldier Strives to Make War-weary South Sudanese Laugh

JUBA , SOUTH SUDAN - A South Sudanese former child soldier who now performs comedy says he wants to put smiles on the faces of South Sudanese who have been traumatized by years of conflict. He also wants to educate soldiers on how to associate with civilians.  

South Sudanese soldiers harass civilians with the intention of extorting money from them, says Kuech Deng Atem, 26. He hopes to disarm soldiers with jokes.   Atem jokes about a common occurrence in South Sudan: getting stopped on the road: "We came with a car, and the guy stopped us, and he was like, 'Jibu (give) logbook (car registration).'  “I gave him the logbook.