Achol Jok Mach (born 1983) is a
South Sudanese
South Sudan is home to around 60 indigenous ethnic groups and 80 linguistic partitions among a population of around million. Historically, most ethnic groups were lacking in formal Western political institutions, with land held by the communit ...
activist and tech entrepreneur, who uses radio production and
podcasting
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
as innovative approaches to
peace-building.
Early life and education
Mach was born in
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
in 1984.
Her family left South Sudan near the beginning of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and she grew up in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
In 1997 her family moved to Canada.
She has spoken out about her experience growing up there and how it affected her identity, she said: "I was only ever told, "You are South Sudanese"... It was only much later that I learned I was
Dinka
The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotes, Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, South Sudan, Renk, in the region of Bahr el Gh ...
."
She has a degree from the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
in Literature.
In 2011 she voluntarily returned to South Sudan with the aspiration to contribute positively to the new nation.
On her return to
Juba
Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a populatio ...
, the first thing she did was to touch the soil.
Career
Mach is a technology entrepreneur and spoke about the achievements of
Peace Tech Lab at the 2018
Peace Tech Summit
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
.
Her work uses radio production and podcasting as a means to work with communities and counter prejudice.
In 2019, Mach was a speaker and representative at the
National Dialogue Conference
The National Dialogue Conference (NDC) was a transitional dialogue process held at the Movenpick Hotel in Sanaa, Yemen from March 18, 2013 to January 24, 2014, as part of the Yemeni crisis reconciliation efforts.
National Dialogue is a key part of ...
in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, which enabled a variety of stakeholders in the field of peace studies and conflict resolution to come together.
Her 2019
Global Research Initiative Fellowship funds a research project to analyse the effect of
hate speech
Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...
by South Sudanese politicians on diaspora communities, and questions whether that effect in turn encourages further conflict, both virtually and offline.
Awards
In 2019 Mach was awarded a Global Research Initiative Fellowship.
References
External links
Let's Talk podcast featuring Achol Jok Mach in conversation with South Sudanese community leaders and citizens.Peacetech
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mach, Achol Jok
Living people
1983 births
South Sudanese activists
Women podcasters
South Sudanese women
Women activists
Dinka people
University of Alberta alumni
Radio producers
African pacifists
Women radio producers