As the final notes of a popular song fade, the presenter at the Radio Miraya studio adjusts his headphones, his fingers lightly tapping the soundboard in rhythm. Leaning into the microphone, his voice—warm, smooth, and practiced—fills the airwaves.
“Those were my guests this evening, the brothers Ayoub and Shougi. Welcome to the Weekend Mix with me, Abraham Malek…” His flawless shift of gears between English and Arabic connects South Sudan’s diverse listeners, but behind the voice lies a story of resilience and determination.
Abraham might have followed a predictable path in the cattle camps of Twic, Warrap, where he was born into a family of herders. But an accident when he was 10 years old changed his life path. He sustained a seemingly minor injury which worsened with time, leaving him with a dangerous wound in his left leg. In a family of cattle keepers where strength and physical ability defined a boy’s future, this seemed to be a devastating setback.
“It was just a small accident,” Abraham recalls. “But the lack of treatment in the village made it worse. My father had to sell several bullocks to send me to Khartoum for medical care.”
This journey became a turning point. Under the care of his uncle, Abraham stayed in Khartoum and began attending.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but that injury realigned my life,” he reflects. “I would never have gone to school otherwise,” he says.
Yet living with a visible disability brought its own challenges. Stigma followed him everywhere, and Abraham quickly realized he needed to outshine societal expectations.
“I knew I had to work harder than everyone else,” he explains. “If people were going to talk about me, I wanted it to be about my achievements, not my limp.”
And work hard he did.
By excelling in his studies, always ranking among the top three in his class, Abraham earned admiration from peers and teachers alike.
Aged 13, he discovered a love for communication, becoming a sought-after emcee for school events and a voice for his community. “The microphone became my way of proving that I was more than my disability,” he says.
Years later, Abraham would go on to earn a postgraduate degree in media studies and launch Al Masir, South Sudan’s first Arabic-language newspaper. Today, he produces Radio Miraya’s Weekend Mix, blending music, conversation, and community engagement to captivate audiences across the country.
But his passions extend beyond the newsroom. As a member of the Juba Cycling Club, Abraham has embraced cycling—a pursuit that many might consider unlikely for someone with a physical disability in the leg. “I don’t look like a typical cyclist,” he admits. “But that’s the point—I want to show people that limitations are only in the mind.”
His first ride with the club was a 150-kilometer journey to Terekeka and back, a grueling challenge even for seasoned cyclists. With a basic bicycle and no professional gear, Abraham defied expectations, completing the ride and proving to himself—and others—that he belonged.
Now, as the Club’s secretary for information and public relations, he dreams of building opportunities for other cyclists, envisioning regional training programs and even a South Sudanese presence in international competitions like the Tour de France.
For him, cycling and journalism represent movement and transformation, freedom. “Disability is not inability,” he says. “It’s about finding your path and pushing forward, no matter the obstacles.”
From cattle camps to airwaves, and on to the open roads of South Sudan, Abraham continues to challenge stereotypes and redefine what’s possible. “It’s not about overcoming disability,” he emphasizes. “It’s about embracing it and showing the world that our true strength comes from our differences.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
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