Prominent traditional singer dies in Akobo

JUBA – A prominent Nuer traditional singer has died in Jonglei State’s Akobo County, according to relatives and family members.

John Jock Keat who is better known as ‘Kuoth Paam’ died on November 10, 2022 in Akobo town after suffering unknown sickness for several months, according to Khan Banguot, a writer who has known the singer for several years.

Jock is one of the village band artists who has gained fame across the Nuer lands and has composed historic songs about South Sudan’s independence from Sudan and are still listened to by a wide audience among the Nuer community today.

“He was someone with strange dressing code and character that make him known to all the people in the area. He was friendly to all children/kids and sometimes make some jokes and dances once he met the children in any corner,” Banguot said of the late singer.

“He was in other hands a cultural champion who utterly organized some cultural shows with a group he formed to keep culture in place. In addition to these, important realities of his life is his love for Akobo being the only place he lived in and has witnessed all the events that have taken place in Akobo,” he added.

The governor of Jonglei State described him as “a symbol of peace and harmony among the people of Jonglei and the Lou-Nuer in particular.”

Jock’s real age is unknown, but villagers have estimated that he might be in his early seventies when he died.