Votes

Sudan has fought itself since 1955 (with brief skirmishes of peace) over whether it wants to be one big thing or two smaller things, and in the process it killed 2.5m of its people.  Today the people of the southern bit (the ones that are left anyway) vote to determine the same question.

A paper cut is nasty, but it beats stepping on a land mine.  This is the power of democracy.

For now, the question of whether a separate South Sudan is viable or preferable is irrelevant.  A nation's worth of fathers died so that their sons could cast this vote.  I have no idea what this feels like for the sons.

In the centre of Juba there is a tower with a countdown to the referendum displayed in big red digits.  On Wednesday this read "1 day, 44 hours" which tells you something about local timekeeping and technology.  Zero hour, and time to get in line, is 8am local time.  I'll be taking my camera.