SUDAN: ART AND LITERATURE

Tribal life dominated the early art of Sudan, from tools and other practical matters to items used for religious/spiritual purposes. And even today, their past cultural lifestyles creep into their artistic styles and subject matter.

Whenever I hear about terracotta sculptures, my first thought is the soldier statues found in China, but the Djenne tribe also created sculptures from terracotta as well. These sculptures typically have a sense of calming and serenity about them. Probably the most well known of these terracotta figures is a person riding a horse, which is seen as a symbol of power.

They certainly had their preferred forms of handicrafts. One of the more common arts is jewelry and beadwork. Beadwork is not only used as part of decorating clothing and other similar textile applications, but they also had trading beads that were made from colored glass. Other types of arts such as textile arts (many people utilize brightly colored cloth as part of their wraps, clothing, and accessories), metalwork, and leatherwork are commonly created here.

After the Turks invaded Sudan during the early part of the 1800s, one of their motives was to modernize the Nile Valley. And a big push toward education was one of the results. However, art education really didn't pick up until the early part of the 20th century. As students traveled to the cultural centers of Europe to study art, they realized they could merge the old traditions with the new. Many of these artists returned to Khartoum where they took what they learned and applied it to representing their unity and celebrating their diversity.

by Mohamed Fadul -- his paintings are stunning!

Literature in Sudan is nothing new. Pieces of literature written in the ancient Meroitic script that date back as far as 700 years BC have been found in this area. There was a strong tradition, as in many areas of Africa, or storytelling and poetry, and many of these stories were passed down orally from generation to generation. These stories fall into a couple of categories: Ahaji tales, which tend to be more like fairy tales complete with mythological characters and magic powers; and Madih tales, also called praise tales, have more of a religious tone to them.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, a change began to take place in their literary styles, and the foundations for modern Sudanese literature solidified. First of all, it was mainly written in Arabic, yet certain poetic traditions were still written in the local language. (i.e. Fur-language poetry). 20th century scholars began the painstaking task of writing down many of these oral folkloric stories, traveling around and gathering these stories to write down.

University of Khartoum library

Newspapers also began to pop up across the country during the 20th century, including several that published short stories and poetry. Probably one of the more influential ones was Al-Ra'id, sending out its first issue in 1914 in Khartoum. Fast forward to the 1960s when the students studying in Europe arrived back home to social turmoil, and they began writing about it, starting with a novel called Al-Faragh al-'arid (The Vast Emptiness). What was most jarring when it was published in 1970, was not only that it was published posthumously by Malkat Ed-Dar Mohamed, but that it was written by a woman writing about some heavy topics in a realist way. (How dare women have feelings about things?)
 

Al-Tayyib Salih

Another Sudanese author of note is Al-Tayyib Salih, novel and short story writer. His most famous work is Season of Migration to the North (1967), first published in Arabic but later translated into English and French. He's considered one of the most influential writers of 20th century Sudanese literature.

Ibrahim 'Ali Salman

Other Sudanese writers of note include Hammour Ziada (novelist, journalist), Ra'ouf Mus'ad (journalist, novelist, playwright), Rashad Hashim (well-known Sudanese Romantic poet), Al-Tijani Yusuf Bashir (Romantic poet who wrote in Arabic), Gely Abdel Rahman (poet of the latter part of the 20th century), Ibrahim 'Ali Salman (one of the most famous contemporary poets), Mohammed Abdul-Hayy (considered one of the founders of modern Sudanese poetry), Safia Elhillo (known for her written and spoken poetry), and Jaafar Abbas (known for his satirical works).

Up next: music and dance