The Nuer Nation Socio-Economic and Cultural Change

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The author of this book, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Gai Riam, is a scholar who

has lived through three cultures: indigenous African life, Arabs Sudan

and the Western Christian tradition. He went to formal school as an

adult after spending most of his childhood practicing his native Nuer

culture, observing norms and traditions, looking after livestock. He

progressed to higher levels of education one could cherish in life.

His experiences have involved executive and administrative roles and

duties; both in public and private sectors. Long serving civil servant in

the field of local government both in the Sudan and South Sudan, Riam

has been involved in relief work, a Pastor of Presbyterian Church of

South Sudan, Commissioner at Jonglei State headquarters and Minister

for Parliamentary and Cabinet Affairs. While writing this text, he has

been the Secretary General of the Nuer Leadership Peace Forum, the

highest institution overseeing the affairs of all Nuer community in

South Sudan.

Dr. Riam has also authored Christian-Muslim relations in Sudan

(2022); Contribution of Religious Leaders in the Conflict Resolution

Initiatives in Jonglei State - South Sudan (doctoral thesis, 2017). With

this wealth of experience, he writes this third book as principal of

Nuer self-government with a firm knowledge of the Nuer culture

and its entanglement with external ethos of the globalized world.

The text is written from African perspective with the aim of

positioning Nuer cultural life. The text brings better

understanding of the Nuer culture that may strengthen

cross-culture relations and develop positive strategies that would

engage indigenous and external traditions.