A Woman of Juba. Women in Urbanisation Processes in the Cities of Southern Sudan

Abstract

Until recently, Juba in Southern Sudan was no more than a small African town devastated by the war. Now, almost by the day, it is growing into a large city, the capital of independent Southern Sudan. A steady current of immigrants flows into Juba. Women constitute a significant proportion of the newcomers. Unlike before, African women play a vital role in urbanisation processes on the continent. In fact, Juba needs its women. They belong to the most industrious individuals in the city. Their work is the ground for the development in such areas as gastronomy or food industry. What is more, the income generated by women’s professional activity constitutes the basis for the family budget of a typical Southern Sudanese household. Women channel their professional activity on the foundation of the traditional system of models and social roles. For African women, the city is the field not only for business activity, but also for their resistance to, and struggle against, the discriminative social system. This is where women are confronted with such views to the highest degree, and also where they are able to overcome them. Women of Juba constitute a very good example illustrating all the above phenomena.