04 | Red is for the President…

…and NGOs* are green. 

One morning, when I was about to sign a paper for my work permit, I learned something about pens. More specifically, the ink color of pens. For me, the main reason for choosing a specific pen over another one has mostly been personal preference. (As an architect — and I am sure many colleagues can relate — I have come to understand that a pen is never just a pen. It is the most important tool that helps you to think on paper. Because how do I know what I think until I see what I draw? Anyways, enough of architecture, back to ink.) In South Sudan, it is not always up to personal choice what ink color you write or sign with. Especially for official documents, there are rules: 

Blue is for the “normal people”. If you do not belong to any of the following categories, you are most probably using a blue pen. Green is used by people who are authorized to make important final decisions, such as ministers, military officials, directors, etc. And red — of course, red is reserved for the President. (If you are wondering about black ink: It’s hardly used at all, people just keep telling me they don’t like it.)

And now you might be wondering why NGOs are green. The answer is to be found on the streets of Juba, or rather on the number plates. 

The first thing to notice is that the rules for ink are different than the rules for number plates. However, if you look carefully you will find some potential links. 

In Austria the vast majority of all number plates encountered on the streets are white, categorized by states and have a small blue EU & country label on the left. If you are lucky, you will find a minimalistic registration plate of a diplomat or ambassador car. Some electric cars use green letters, but that’s about it.

In South Sudan, things are slightly more complicated. 

The basic one is similar to most number plates I know: black lettering on white background, used mostly for private cars (SSD**). You will also find an inverted version, which means white text on a black number plate. It indicates services, such as drinking water tanks, sewage tanks, etc. Taxis use green writing on a white background. We can probably assume that most people with those number plates also use pens with blue ink. 

Then there are a bunch of registration plates for officials. Country diplomats (CD); the top is red, and the bottom is white. The National Police (SSNPS) uses white lettering on blue plates. If you see black on yellow, it is a car from the Government of South Sudan (GOSS). The South Sudan People's Defence Force uses black-on-red (SSPDF). Quite a few people who drive cars with those number plates probably carry a green with them. 

Organizations which are part of the UN system (e.g.: UNICEF, WHO, WFP, IOM, UNHCR, etc.) also have their own registration plates. The top half is blue, and the bottom is white, and they simply say UN. Since 2011 the UN has been running an (arguably controversial) so-called “peacekeeping mission”: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan. They have their own number plates as well. Compared to all other plates, those only say UNMISS — apparently, there is no further information or distinction needed. The UN might even have its own ink colour. Except that blue is already taken, so I don’t know. 

We are registered as an international NGO. The top half of our number plate is green, the bottom is white. There are also quite a few national NGOs, which use the sign NNGO. I guess that most NGO workers use blue pens.

If you look at the blog picture carefully, you will see that the NGO I work for, was registered as NGO 10. The highest number I saw on an NGO number plate was above 200, which indicates the overwhelming amount of organizations operating in South Sudan. 

I have not yet spotted the car of the one person who is using a red pen. If I do, I will let you know what it said on the number plate. 

The streets of Juba are a truly fascinating environment. But more on this topic in a future post. 

Saludos, Markus