--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going back to South Sudan after the…" description: "\"Going back to South Sudan after the independence took place was deeply emotional for me because I had gone through the civil war with my family just be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg" --- # Going back to South Sudan after the independence took… ![“Going back to South Sudan after the independence took place was deeply emotional for me because I had gone through the civil war with my family just before going to seek refuge in London.” quote by Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg) > “Going back to South Sudan after the independence took place was deeply emotional for me because I had gone through the civil war with my family just before going to seek refuge in London.” [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Returning after independence evoked deep emotions because of personal war experiences and the contrast with life in exile. **In simple terms:** Homecoming after conflict triggers strong feelings. Key Takeaway Acknowledge past trauma when celebrating new beginnings. Themes identity healing diaspora Mood reflective hopeful Type personal historical When to use this quote - family reunions - community events - public speeches Key Concepts post‑colonialism nationalism Questions to Reflect On - How do personal histories shape reactions to political change? - What role does diaspora play in nation‑building? A Different Perspective Emotions may be mixed with grief, complicating celebration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I never thought I would see a free South Sudan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-never-thought-i-would-see-a-free-south-sudan/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [My life was filled with family in South Sudan. I am the seventh of nine children, and we grew up in what would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/my-life-was-filled-with-family-in-south-sudan-i-am-the-seventh-of/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [It's a small world when you're from South Sudan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/it-s-a-small-world-when-you-re-from-south-sudan/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Male relationships are deeply emotional and hard to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lord/male-relationships-are-deeply-emotional-and-hard-to-talk-about/) [Phil Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lord/) > [I think that almost every scene was an exploration - it was never going to be just what’s on the page. So I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-moverman/i-think-that-almost-every-scene-was-an-exploration-it-was-never-going/) [Oren Moverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-moverman/) > [“Our reconnection was intense and deeply emotional, like much of our relationship had been. He muttered things to me while we made love—how beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/our-reconnection-was-intense-and-deeply-emotional-like-much-of-our/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [Food like love is a deeply emotional matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/food-like-love-is-a-deeply-emotional-matter/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [“Our initial thinking about the keys to educational reform was wrong. The variables were deeply emotional and cultural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edward-goldberg/our-initial-thinking-about-the-keys-to-educational-reform-was-wrong/) [David Edward Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edward-goldberg/) > [My most successful books, the ones that I feel the strongest about, are the ones that started with a premise that for me was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/my-most-successful-books-the-ones-that-i-feel-the-strongest-about-are/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Do not seek refuge in the body of the misleading light, nor seek cover in the engulfing void of darkness; find solace in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soliloquy/do-not-seek-refuge-in-the-body-of-the-misleading-light-nor-seek-cover/) Soliloquy > [When something is bothering me, I seek refuge. No need to travel far; a trip to the realm of literary memory will suffice. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/when-something-is-bothering-me-i-seek-refuge-no-need-to-travel-far-a/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We pray for the many brothers and sisters who seek refuge far from their native lands, who seek a home where they can live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-pray-for-the-many-brothers-and-sisters-who-seek-refuge-far-from/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The Lord is the refuge of all who seek refuge, the saviour of all who have to be saved. He is the Embodiment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/the-lord-is-the-refuge-of-all-who-seek-refuge-the-saviour-of-all-who/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [“The families had chosen to seek refuge in the historic sanctuary and had hung a banner out front that read, “How can we worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/the-families-had-chosen-to-seek-refuge-in-the-historic-sanctuary-and/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [“It is better to hide under the shadow of the righteousness of Almighty God than seek refuge in shelter of sins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-better-to-hide-under-the-shadow-of-the-righteousness-of/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Alek Wek > [I was working part-time as a cleaner while I was going to college and then babysitting after school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-was-working-part-time-as-a-cleaner-while-i-was-going-to-college-and/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [War tore my family apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/war-tore-my-family-apart/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [I wore hot pants and cowboy boots and I thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-wore-hot-pants-and-cowboy-boots-and-i-thought-what-have-i-gotten/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [I've seen mothers and children really being vulnerable in the refugee camps; it's supposed to be temporary, but they end up having children who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-ve-seen-mothers-and-children-really-being-vulnerable-in-the-refugee/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [I used to have nightmares about the civil war when I got to England at ages 14 to 15. It took me some years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-used-to-have-nightmares-about-the-civil-war-when-i-got-to-england/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [My experience as a refugee had made me strong; I could survive anything, even the world of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/my-experience-as-a-refugee-had-made-me-strong-i-could-survive/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Leaving southern Sudan as a child was terrifying. It was 1985, and my family and I were trying to escape to Khartoum, the capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/leaving-southern-sudan-as-a-child-was-terrifying-it-was-1985-and-my/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Starting modeling in the '90s, it was quite surreal. They were like, 'You're so different! So weird! So bizarre!' And I'm like, 'I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/starting-modeling-in-the-90s-it-was-quite-surreal-they-were-like-you/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [There's one thing we all share: We eat to nurture ourselves, to feel stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/there-s-one-thing-we-all-share-we-eat-to-nurture-ourselves-to-feel/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Don't focus on negative things; focus on the positive, and you will flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/don-t-focus-on-negative-things-focus-on-the-positive-and-you-will/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [London is like my second home. I've still got friends there from school and from when I first started in the modelling business -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/london-is-like-my-second-home-i-ve-still-got-friends-there-from/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [I don't even know where to start in terms of people having such an issue about color, especially being dark. I just think on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-don-t-even-know-where-to-start-in-terms-of-people-having-such-an/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [There are mothers who sew for six months to make a fashion collection - someone's grandmother, someone's sister. We come in and get paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/there-are-mothers-who-sew-for-six-months-to-make-a-fashion-collection/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Beauty is deeper than just what you look at in a picture. You could fancy what you like, but as a woman my mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/beauty-is-deeper-than-just-what-you-look-at-in-a-picture-you-could/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [We need to do everything we can to protect the health and welfare of children around the world, but fortunately, it's getting easier to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/we-need-to-do-everything-we-can-to-protect-the-health-and-welfare-of/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) [Explore all 117 Alek Wek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) ## More Civil war quotes > [“Time overlaps itself. A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“Whatever happened in those more than one hundred years, from the time my great-great-great grandfather studied law to the time when my own father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenn-wright/whatever-happened-in-those-more-than-one-hundred-years-from-the-time/) [Gwenn Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenn-wright/) > [“AUSTRALIA, LIKE THE UNITED STATES, experienced a different path to inclusive institutions than the one taken by England. The same revolutions that shook England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/australia-like-the-united-states-experienced-a-different-path-to/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“Thinking about the weather was one way of shutting out of his mind the appalling bloody human mess sprawled out over the bed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ellis/thinking-about-the-weather-was-one-way-of-shutting-out-of-his-mind/) [Mark Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ellis/) > [It cost about 75 cents to kill a man in Ceasar's time. The price rose to about $3,000 per man during the Napoleonic wars;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-bone/it-cost-about-75-cents-to-kill-a-man-in-ceasar-s-time-the-price-rose/) Homer Bone > [Alabama soldiers, all I ask of you is to keep up with the Texans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/alabama-soldiers-all-i-ask-of-you-is-to-keep-up-with-the-texans/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [“ “In the South, football is confused with religion, chivalry, the Civil War, and women.” -Diane Roberts, The Quotable South ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/in-the-south-football-is-confused-with-religion-chivalry-the-civil/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [“By the following morning, September 15, Jackson had positioned nearly fifty guns on Maryland Heights and at the base of Loudoun Heights.  Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/by-the-following-morning-september-15-jackson-had-positioned-nearly/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [Strange, (is it not?) that battles, martyrs, blood, even assassination should so condense - perhaps only really lastingly condense - a Nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/strange-is-it-not-that-battles-martyrs-blood-even-assassination/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [You must study to be frank with the world: frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/you-must-study-to-be-frank-with-the-world-frankness-is-the-child-of/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [“Civil wars...are the best wars for the writer...because they have a way of continuing long afterwl wars between nations are resolved; because, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/civil-wars-are-the-best-wars-for-the-writer-because-they-have-a-way/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [I am out of money,we are all out of money,but we dont need money down here- Dont need anything but Men , Muskets, Ammunition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-connolly/i-am-out-of-money-we-are-all-out-of-money-but-we-dont-need-money-down/) James A. Connolly > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [“Only twenty - nine years in the entire human history had been without warfare, and now here he was too, travelling between the episodes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/only-twenty-nine-years-in-the-entire-human-history-had-been-without/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) [Browse all 1,714 Civil war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Going back to South Sudan after the independence took place was deeply emotional for me because I had gone through the civil war with my family just before going to seek refuge in London.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alek Wek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-independence-took-place-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civil war" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-independence-took-place-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/alek-wek-4037_civil-war_going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-inde_1798596.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Going back to South Sudan after the independence took place was deeply emotional for me because I had gone…” — Alek Wek", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alek Wek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Going back to South Sudan after...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-independence-took-place-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/going-back-to-south-sudan-after-the-independence-took-place-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```