Kodok (Fashoda)

Kodok (Fashoda)

Kodok or Kothok, formerly known as Fashoda, is a town in the north-eastern South Sudanese state of Upper Nile. Kodok is the capital of Shilluk country, formally known as the Shilluk Kingdom. Shilluk had been an independent kingdom for more than sixteen centuries. Fashoda is best known as the place where the British and French nearly went to war in 1898 in the Fashoda Incident.
According to Shilluk belief, religion, tradition and constitution, Kodok serves as the mediating city for the Shilluk King. It is a place where ceremonies and the coronation of each new Shilluk King takes place. For over 500 years, Kodok was kept hidden and acted as a forbidden city for the Shilluk King, but as modern educations and traditions emerge, Kodok is now known to the outside world. Kodok is believed to be a place where the spirit of Juok (God), the spirit of Nyikango (the founder of Shilluk Kingdom and the spiritual leader of Shilluk religion), the spirit of the deceased Shilluk kings and the spirit of the living Shilluk King come to mediate for the Kingdom of Shilluk's spiritual healing. Kodok is preserved as a quiet place for the spirit of God, where the sounds and speeches of God (Juok) can be heard and received by the King, leaders, and elders. For the Shilluk, Kodok is a city of mediation and peace.