Today is a very historical day for us in Southern Sudan.
We are the community of Southern Sudanese who live here in Portland, Maine.
Because the reason that most of us are here in the United States is because of the civil war that has been going on in Southern Sudan for the last 40-plus years.
Our parents were refugees. We grew up refugees or in war.
We have experienced the war and we know what the referendum means to us.
For us, it means a new life. It means independence. It means freedom.
It means we can do things that we want to do in our own Southern Sudan after this event.
So it's very important for us people. We lost so many people.
Everybody that sits here has lost a family, a member of their family into the war in Southern Sudan.
Because more than 15 people from my own family in the war and one of the reasons I was separated from my parents in Southern Sudan is because of this.
So it is an event that I don't want to miss.
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
I believe that many of you guys have waited for a very, very, very long time to see that, to see today with our children and our great grandparents are here to go and cast this ballot.
So, you know, it's a very significant event to me and to many of you guys.
So as we travel today, I think, you know, let's keep our spirit high.
Let's go like we're going for something bigger, not for something smaller. We're going to create a new nation.
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye! Okay, I know you've been here for years now. Make sure your card is with you. It's in your pocket.
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye! New Sudan Oye!
It is a big day for all the people of South Sudan, across all the country, all the world.
It is a big day.
We are so happy today to vote, to be independent on our own.
This is my card and I'm going to vote today.
I'm so happy today.
My name is Bol Bol Rebol.
I left my village when I was about 10 years from the first war of Nyan Nyan 1.
And then again the war broke.
I come out.
I'm three times a refugee.
My father is a refugee.
My son, I'm a refugee.
My children, who are my children, they are also refugees and then they are with me.
This is the final journey.
And this is really a good day for us for a good year.
It is a final, final, final vote for us.
I have to say, Karatoum bye bye, Karatoum bye bye, Arab bye bye, Sudan go bye bye.
Duba, welcome Duba.
Duba, welcome Duba.
And I'm by profession a teacher.
I've taught in Egypt after my graduation for almost 18 years.
I lived in Egypt more years than I lived maybe almost in my country.
And from Egypt I moved here.
And from here I'm looking forward to the birth of the new nation of southern Sudan,
where we're going to go back there and also our home that has hosted us really a lot, US.
So I have two homes.
I have two countries.
I consider the birth of the nation has taken place already.
Starting with today's vote for a friend.
We just voted.
I voted for civilization.
The south must be a separate country.
South Sudan must be a separate nation.
Well, we just want to encourage the whole world to stand with us.
That we've been out of our homeland for so many years.
So we trust God that you see the time has come.
This is the time that we've been waiting and this is the time that you see even those who died
knowing that this day like this will come anyway.
