Sudan Conflict: 'How I Saved my Red Guitar From Khartoum War Zone'

If you had to run for your life, with fighting all around, what would you take with you? Clothes, of course, important documents and perhaps a photograph, or another small sentimental keepsake, would be on many people's lists.

But for South Sudanese Joseph Malith Matiang it was a bright red guitar in a bulky black case. The 22-year-old recently fled the violence in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, to return to his country with his family after a decade. He is now in a temporary camp in the South Sudanese town of Renk, 45km (28 miles) from the border.

But for musician and band member Matiang it was more practical than sentimental in the hectic moments before finally leaving their home. "I picked it up because it was very close to me [when I was leaving], other things were far from me. I left the keyboard behind because it was very heavy," he says.

I am sorry for the situation but the man was smart as he can now sing for his dinner, or become a Cause Celebre—I see that photo as an album cover...

The world needs its musicans and poets...

As a young one, I remember listending to KSAN during the Chilean coup. Granted I was nominally democrat and believed everything over the radio in those days,,,anyway, there was a story and mini documentary on a Chilean musican that had his hands broken by his torturers and that affected me thinking at the time.

I got into journalism, specifically radio journalism after going to a talk by KSAN news director Dave McQueen. Dave was about five foot five and had hair down to his ass. But he had this huge deep VOICE—and that is what mattered. His politics and thbose of KSAN I discarded after time and more common sense. But that voice.

When I entered radionews I too, had the VOICE—when people would ask Where did you get that VOICE, I would reply that I bought it at Sears...

I loved radio and still do..I wish Television would go away and radio shows return—a get way to exercise the mind—to create the visuals with words and language and nuance....but nothing is nuanced these days.

I went on a tangent there—I hope that the Red Guitar goes far...whaterver the genre.

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