His Majesty King Peni Rikito Gbudue
His Majesty King Peni Rikito Gbudue is the great-grandson of King Gbudue who was dethroned and killed by British colonial powers in 1905. Rikito has been the paramount chief of Yambio for over 20 years.
His Majesty is the great-grandson of King Gbudue who was dethroned and killed by British colonial powers in 1905. Rikito has been the paramount chief of Yambio for over 20 years.
King Wilson Gbudue inherited Chieftaincy at the 14 and served in the capacity of a chief for 10 years. Thereafter, he served as the Paramount Chief for 10 years. In 2011, he became the King of the Azande, a position that he holds currently.
King Wilson Gbudue studied in Switzerland and made a study tour here in South Africa in 2013 to understand local governance within the South African democracy. He is currently a member of the South Sudan National Dialogue Steering Committee.
Accession and Coronation
On 9 February 2022, Atoroba Peni Rikito Gbudue has been installed the king of Azande for the first time in more than 100 years after the death of King Gbudue in 1905.
February 9 (Gbudue Day) is a cultural day agreed upon to be celebrated yearly by the Azande of South Sudan, inside and in Diaspora to remember, honour and celebrate the life of King Gbudue.According to the Rift Valley Institute,
Gbudue was a royal Azande leader and arguably the most prominent person in the recent history of the Azande people, who are resident in the central and western parts of South Sudan’s Equatoria regions.
For many Azande people, his rule represents a golden era before the disruptions of colonization and war. To make his legacy stay, there have been calls, including from Gbudue’s great-grandson Atoroba Peni Rikito Gbudue, to revive traditional authorities and the Zande Kingdom, of which Gbudue was the last ruler.
The Azande are a Bantu group and their language is similar to the other Bantu languages. Approximately five dialects of Azande are spoken throughout the area they occupy.
