Sudanese ambassador Ukec to speak Friday at MCC

By GREG PIERQUET

John Lueth Ukec, Sudanese Ambassador to the United States, will speak at the Marshalltown Community College campus Friday at 11 a.m. The ambassador has ties to Central Iowa and hopes to tell about the atrocities occurring in the Darfur region in Sudan.

John Lueth Ukec, Sudanese Ambassador to the United States, will speak at the Marshalltown Community College campus Friday at 11 a.m. Open to the public, the discussion will be in Dejardin Hall, Room 808, of Iowa Valley Continuing Education on the MCC campus, 3007 S. Center St.

Ukec will speak with students and members of the community about current conditions in the embattled Darfur region of Sudan. He is currently on a goodwill and informational tour of the United States, but Iowa holds a special place in his heart.

Ukec served as a counselor at Iowa State University and taught at Des Moines Area Community College before being asked to serve as Sudanese Ambassador to the U.S.

MCC Professor Dr. John Kalkwarf was instrumental in bringing Ukec to Marshalltown. Kalkwarf is the faculty advisor for Southern Sudanese American Hope at MCC and is director of the Sudanese Community Development Services in Marshalltown.

He said Marshalltown is home to between 150 and 200 Sudanese refugees, most of which have come from the southern part of Sudan, whereas Darfur is located in the northwest region of the country.

Kalkwarf said Ukec will be at the forefront of any re-organization of the Sudanese government, and stressed the real opportunity Marshalltown has to hear from someone who has seen the genocide and corruption of Sudan — and that region of Africa — first hand.

“This area of Africa is very confusing for most Americans because there are so many groups and factions which are struggling with economic and political problems,” Kalkwarf said. “It’s a place where even the experts are in disagreement, so we hope that a first-hand account from someone like the ambassador, who has also lived in the United States, will help people understand the situation there.”

In November 2005, Professor Ukec was the moderator at a roundtable discussion on the political situation in Sudan, held at MCC, and he has wanted to return to the community since he was appointed as the ambassador a year ago.

Central Iowa held another tie to Sudan until 2005. The late vice president of Sudan and former leader of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army, John Garang, was also an ISU alum. Events surrounding Garang’s death — allegedly his place went down in inclement weather — are still unclear.

Kalkwarf said Ukec walks a fine line between saying what he might feel and saying what he needs to say as his country’s ambassador to the U.S., but said it will be worth the effort of those who attend Friday’s talk.