It is hard to serve two masters at the same time unless you disobey one and be loyal to the other. This succinct description is applicable to the lives of certain women in South Sudan who salivate for football, but have to face the barriers imposed by societal beliefs in their path to success.
This grim fate has befallen Linda Kiden, 20, who began playing football in 2017 but is yet to fully realise her potential thanks to the challenges of overcoming stringent societal beliefs that barely entertain such activities.
Sitting humbly while watching D-License women coaches being trained at Buluk playground, a silent Kiden imagines how she would put her country, South Sudan, on the world map of women football.
Linda is averse to cultural and traditional values that tend to prevent girls from taking part in football and is determined to defy the odds and achieve her dreams.
“At the beginning when I joined women football team in 2017, my parents didn’t want me to play football, but I insisted till they gave up,” Kiden told City Review.
Though Kiden now can leaves home for football freely without restraint, neighbours’ negative sentiments abound and this has planted even more worries as the public views her awkwardly. But she is unmoved.
“People at the neighborhood don’t want me to socialise with their daughters because I am a ‘bad girl’ who does not obey the culture,” she lamented.
An unspecified number of girls have exited the profession due to pressure mounted by the community, which terms football as men’s profession, thus, women must avoid, South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) said.
“We have lost a number of girls due to criticism by some parents because of some traditional beliefs rooted in our culture,” said Helena Terso Aninyesi, SSFA Women Football Development Officer and Program Manager.
But according to the President of SSFA Francis Amin Michael, early marriage also plays a negative role in how public perceive women and football in the country. He added that majority want their daughters married off even at tender ages to enrich themselves.
He added, “Men also do not give chance to girls. They don’t want to see talented girls. They run after them and parents, because of wealth. [They] allow those girls get married while still young and this affect us so much.”
“We cannot develop if this kind of behavior continues. Let’s not view girls as source of income.”
SSFA Women Football Deputy Chairlady Mary Lokina Vigilio called on parents and community to allow their daughters freely participate in football to avert other societal ills.
“Football prevents early marriage and allows a girl to finish her studies. So, we are now doing behaviour change awareness campaign to enable South Sudanese to look at football not only as something for both men and women; but as a profession that makes girls strong and able to realise their potential,” Lokina said.