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The Cultural Frontline: Sudan: Art and political change

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Sudan: Art and Political Change

09/04/2022 GMT

Sudan: Art and political change

BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, Sudan: Art and political change

How changes in government, technology and culture are shaping the future of Sudan

Film-makers Amjad Abu Alala and Suzannah Mirghani, artist Reem Aljeally, musician Wafa Mustafa and Prof Salah M Hassan on the changing situation for Sudanese artists.

Despite Sudan once being at the forefront of African cinema, only eight feature films have been made in the last 70 years. Now a new generation of film-makers has emerged, winning acclaim from audiences and awards at film festivals around the world. You Will Die at Twenty, about a young Sudanese boy, was written and directed by Amjad Abu Alala and became the country’s first Oscar entry. Suzannah Mirghani’s short film Al-Sit follows the 15-year-old Nafisa facing an arranged marriage. They tell us why it was important for them to make their films in Sudan, telling Sudanese stories and of the issues they faced.  

In April 2019 President Al Bashir was overthrown and then in October last year there was a military coup in Sudan. People have been protesting on the streets and this remains a fragile time for the country. Professor of African and African Diaspora Art History at Cornell University in New York and head of the Africa Institute in the UAE, Salah M Hassan, gives us an overview of the situation and its impact on artistic and cultural life. 

Artist Reem Aljeally is known for her colourful acrylic works, which unusually for Sudanese artists, sensually depict the female form. As a self-taught artist and with few places to display work, she started the Muse Multi Studios and Beit Al Nissa in Khartoum to encourage other young people, especially women, to take up art and be creative.

Since the revolution of 2019 music has started to flourish again in Sudan, including traditional instruments such as the Oud and the 78-stringed qanan. One organisation that is helping young people learn to play, perform and even make these instruments is Beit Al Oud. With one of their videos going viral, qanan player Wafa Mustafa explains why they hope it will be the start of a new era in Sudanese music on the world stage.

Presenter: Leila Latif
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Photo: A still from You Will Die at Twenty. Credit: New Wave Films)

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