Ismail Ibrahim Jambo aka Sultan Jambo stand in front of his vehicle-mounted loudspeaker parked at his compound. February 2024. (Photo: Charles Wote | Eye Radio).

For the last 20 years, Ismail Ibrahim Jambo has driven old models of Land Rover vehicles mounted with large microphones around Juba’s residential areas as he passionately broadcasts information to attentive audience.

The 68-year-old popularly known as Sultan Jambo, has continued to voluntarily convey information to the public in exchange for nothing, but occasional tokens of appreciation.

“This is something that I love to do. It is important for a person to work. Just as a teacher teaches people, a person must work so that children can go to school” Jambo told Eye Radio in an interview.

Undeterred by the digital era of journalism, the veteran community broadcaster is still a trusted source of information to his many people in Juba.

The father of 7 children, makes school announcements, promotes road safety awareness, and provides commentary for social events, including sports, all for free.

“People drive anyhow on the road. That is why when I am doing football announcement or any other announcement,” he said.

“I have to stress that word “slowly” because places that has crowd or a roundabout you need to drive slowly so that you do not knock someone with a car.”

“I always say slow down because when you drive slowly, and you happen to knock someone, the injuries may not be serious.”

Broadcasting mainly in Juba Arabic, Jambo often starts his announcement with a unique communication phrase such as “kabara”,  meaning information and “bi-raha” referring to slow, in order to grab the attention of his audience.

“The public announcement I am doing is very important because there are people who do not pay attention to other means but when you announce, they will pay attention.”

“Whenever I say kabara, everyone pay attention to hear the information, either is it a school announcement, the President is coming or people are needed to gather in a certain place.” He added.

Sultan Jambo is the son of a famous chief in Greater Mundri of Western Equatoria State, who has lived a simple and dedicated life in Juba.

Touring his compound in the Gurei suburb of Juba, an Eye Radio journalist viewed several grounded old model range rovers and spare parts – courtesy of his long years of community service.

“This is a car the President gave me around 2006 there. It is Hilux. I do not use it because of the bad condition of the roads that I use, the road is not good for this car so that is why I use the range rover.”

The elderly man launched his work in the early 2000s, when he bought a brown 19th century Bijou model for 5,000 Sudanese pounds and named it Sultan Jambo.

He then fixed two loud speakers on top of the car and began making announcements he simply referred to as kabara.

“This is the car I started my work with, it is called Sultan Jambo it is a strong car I used it until I moved to using range rover.”

Jambo said the current high cost of living is, however, affecting his effort to deliver information to the South Sudanese population in Juba.

“The challenges are mainly to get the spare parts and the issue of fuel of which the prices continue to increase but it was not like this before even tyres the prices is going higher; these are some of the challenges facing me.”

“The prices can be different today and tomorrow it is different however what I am doing, I am just doing it for the welfare of the people.”