Abuk, the Goddess who conquers freedom

Abuk is a feminine divinity of the Dinka peoples, originating from the Sudan area of northeast Africa. In ancient myths, she and Garang are the first woman and the first man, similar to the couple represented by Adam and Eve in the biblical tradition. They lived in vase like statues made of terracotta, and after the opening of the vase, they came to life. The creator God of the universe gave Abuk and Garang just a grain of millet or corn each day. One day, overcome with hunger, Abuk decided to free herself from this not so generous god, and she began to cultivate the land. The Creator, who was offended, stopped feeding her and caring for her.

The anger of the Creator brought about death and disease on Earth, but with her act, Abuk had taught her people how to obtain the food they needed, so they managed to survive.
In different narratives, Abuk is the Goddess of the river and has another companion, Deng, God of the rain; together, they bring abundance. Although the stories are different, Abuk is always a symbol of fertility.
Abuk is the primordial woman, the first woman, and she is the only important feminine figure of the Dinka peoples, as if to emphasize that her characteristics are those of all women.

There are many similar analogies with the biblical Eve – the terracotta from which she is formed, the violation of the relationship with the Creator through food, the anger of God – but the final meaning of her life is interpreted in a profoundly different way. Abuk is freedom. She represents taking responsibility for one’s own life, and rebellion against what someone else has established. Through the choice to respect her own needs, she freed herself from the protection of her Creator, who in fact was keeping her prisoner, and she opened up a path of experience and growth for her peoples, albeit through the fatigue of living. It is not by chance that, from her union with another free being, Deng, fertility and abundance come about for the people who have chosen her as a reference point.

Abuk is a liberating divinity through spiritual freedom, non-dependent on a master God, and the building of one’s own life. She is the divinity of the age of adulthood, the age that shows us that we are the makers of our own destiny, we are the ones who have the responsibility to choose according to our conscience, and we have the right to desire a long, rich and free path to happiness. Once again, it is not by chance that it is a feminine divine force that reminds us of these things. In a freer world, we could also interpret the story of Eve in this way, and recognize an act of liberation in her act of rebellion.

Today, a large part of the world often needs Abuk. When historical religions keep their followers captive in a faith that constricts them into patterns where there seems to be no space for free will and the individual freedom that arises from love. Or, when politics goes down the same beaten paths, with ideologies that impede the use of intelligence and dialogue. Even the world of science with its absolute certainties, which them become limitations, often demonstrates the need to rediscover the courage to seek out truly new paths, ones that are off the usual road.
Today, every day, humanity manifests signs of its own reawakening, of its desire for harmony, freedom, and connection with every other form of life. When we notice this, we are happy and feel a great sense of trust for the future.

But almost as a retaliation, there are still too many conditions where individual freedom cannot express itself in the inner world of each individual, because it is crushed by traditions, dogmas, secular conflicts, and inequitable economic policies.
It is important that Abuk speaks to the heart of those who live in these conditions, whispering to them that there is nothing, neither human nor divine, that can replace the conscience of the people and orient their actions. There is a need for Abuk to inspire the hearts of the youth and teach them that the future belongs to those who build it, because they express courage and determination. No god, science, or politics needs the obedience of humans: but they all need their hearts and ideas.
We ask Abuk to be present and tell about these things to those who have not been able to hear them yet. Let us think about her, observing her image and sending her our thoughts of gratitude. She, her strength, and her experience, can teach about the desire for freedom to those who have not yet experienced it.

Stambecco Pesco