Caam Adhom Omot 1938 - 2010

After the death of their father, the family moved to Uncle Othow Omot’s home. It was a tough, hardscrabble existence where Caam Adhom and his brother Omot Adhom learned ranching, farming and taking care of the cattle.

In 1948 with the help of his uncle Okony Okaango, Mr. Caam began attending his elementary school in Akobo and intermediate education at Obel School. His brother remained taking care of cattle. During his first year in school his uncle Okony Okaango fought against his other uncle Othow Omot for taking him to attend school. He was a fast-learner student who completed his four- years high school program within two years by double promotions in classes.

His first job was an Arabic teacher at the intermediate school in Malakal, Southern Sudan, after attending two years in Jonglei Teaching Training Center in Southern Sudan. He earned a diploma of Theology at the Bishop Gwyen College in Munderi Juba, Southern Sudan and then accepted a call from his Church to be a full-time missionary preaching the Gospel and translating the New Testament in the Anyuak language; he wrote and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts during his time as missionary. He was given an assignment by his church missionaries to meet with the leaders of the Sudan United Presbyterian Church and requested that better materials be made available to missionaries for proselytizing purposes and developing the church.

He learned and spoke Nuer and Shilluk languages. His multilingual abilities and knowledge to understand several languages including Arabic helped him to escape from prison when a Shilluk guard of a prison tipped off information to him to escape secretly from the prison when government police officers wanted to kill him on doubtful knowledge of his membership in the Anya-Nya I Movement.

In 1964 he was assisted by his Church to go to Hagazian College in Beirut, Lebanon to study Anthropology. He could not finish his study because of the war between Israel and Arab countries in 1967. He returned to Africa to join Lemuru College in Kenya. After completion of the diploma program in theology there, he did not go back to the Sudan due to civil war. Instead he left Nairobi and went to Gambella, Ethiopia to join Anya- Nya I Movement.

During the Anya-Nya I Movement, Caam Adhom was one of the coordinators. He was extremely focused, mobilizing with all possible speed to get the aid to areas as quickly as possible, getting urgently medical aid and basic sustenance. He had a popular personality that drew attention and helped the movement’s public relations. Mr. Adhom was also responsible for making sure the wounded soldiers got the treatment they needed.

He was known as a tireless coordinator who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively to meet with foreigners. In addition, he was a popular interview subject with journalists. Through interviews and press publications, he increased media attention and improved the public image of the movement.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern coordinators. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for his country’s history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the past. He exhibited vitality and energy as he traveled about to attend the meetings and speaking to members of Anya-Nya I Movement.

In Ethiopia he joined Haile Sellasie University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1970. He dropped that program after one year and began his teaching career. He was also unwilling to go back to the Sudan after the 1972 Addis Ababa Peace Agreement that was signed between the government of the Sudan and Anya-Nya I Movement. He remained in the country as a refugee and ‘permanent resident’. His first service as a contracted teacher started at Ras Gobenna Elementary School where he taught English from 1970 up to 1994. He also taught English classes in Gambella High School until he became a member of the staff of Gambella Regional Education Bureau of Gambella People’s National Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) in 1994. Indeed, this gave him an extended career as an educator, serving three consecutive government regimes: Imperial governorship of Emperor Haile Selassie, Dreg socialism of Mengistu Haile Mariam and federalism of Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia.

In the Regional Bureau of Education Mr. Caam Adhom had more responsibilities with different capacities. He became the senior expert and trainer in Dha Anyua (Anyua language). He prepared a book for literacy program in Dha Anyua and served as editor and author of textbooks of elementary schools. He was also one of the members of Dha Anyua Development Committee under the Regional Council of Gambella State, which was organized by the Bureau to fulfill the requirements of new education policies introduced in Ethiopia. The reform in education legally allowed Dha Anyua (Anyua language) to become the language of instruction in elementary schools. To some extent, his accomplishments in writing textbooks and training of teachers in Dha Anyua were fulfillments of long overdue visions of Dr. Don McClure, an American missionary who served Anyuak communities in southern Sudan and Gambella as a preacher of Christianity, advocator for writing and reading of the Bible in Dha Anyua (Anyua language) and use of the same language in some scripts of Latin in schools in Ethiopia. It was the dedications of these two personalities, Mr. Adhom and Dr. McClure, which made it much easier for the Bureau to start using Dha Anyua in public schools ahead of all tribes in the Gambella region as required by the new policy of education.

After more than three decades serving the people of the Gambella, he was laid off from work. Later on he was told to change his nationality to an Ethiopian in order to get back to work, and he refused to do so for the love of his country.

Moreover, Mr. Adhom was one of founding members of the Gambella Education Welfare Association (GEWA), the foundation of Anyuak civil servants who supported Anyuak students attending high school in Gambella town. He was also supervisor of ‘Menno’- literally meaning “food or feeding’ in Amharic. Menno was the government school project which was located near Ras Gobenna Elementary School.

Caam Adhom Omot was the most traveled person. His study and cultural interests took him around the world many times to meet with kings, chiefs and local leaders, even visiting the tomb of Jesus.

Mr. Caam Adhom Omot suffered from a stroke for a week and passed away on September 23, 2010 in the hospital of Gambella, Ethiopia. He is survived by two sisters, 20 children and 25 grandchildren who are in a refugee camp in Kenya, Gambella town, and the USA.

In a world so short of positive examples, Mr. Caam Adhom Omot stood as a spiritual giant. A living, real life hero who didn't need super powers. His strength came from his faith and his good works. Regardless of a person's religious convictions, his example was one anyone could look up to; he was a man of integrity, a man of compassion for others, a man with leadership qualities, who was humble, a man who could laugh at himself and who made others around him feel comfortable.

Caam Adhom was exceptionally influential in the growth of education throughout the community as he has met with leaders during his travels. His more than 30 years of public relations experience and his natural ability to be warm and friendly served him well when he was in the spotlight. His expression of love for all people-regardless of race or religion-has won him many friends the world over.

His personal behavior was impeccable. His example will set the tone for the direction his people are follow. He was fearless in denouncing evil, willing to take a stand for the right, and uncompromising in his defense of truth.

He was a man who truly loved all as his brothers and sisters regardless of color or culture. It is not good-bye only but "until we meet again”. Though we are grieving the loss of this wonderful man, we too are rejoicing that through his example there are still people in this darkened world we can look up to. And from his example other men of integrity will grow. We may shed a tear or two.