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8 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Sudanese People – BuzzFeed

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This article was taken from Buzzfeed, here is the link.

1. We come in all colours.

A green eyed friend with a fair complexion gets defensive when his Sudanese nationality is challenged while another jet black friend gets his share of questions when he travels, but the truth is we come in Coral Pink, Night Shadow and every shade in between.

Our ancestry pool hails from the heart of Africa, and draws upon Nubian, Arabian, Armenian, and Turkish blood lines – amongst others. To add to our diversity, we are witnessing further additions, as Sudanese branch out, marrying Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Spaniards, Indians, British and American nationals, including a famous New Zealand rock star.

2. Historically, Sudan is neither particularly Islamic nor particularly conservative.

Scroll through photographs of old Sudan, to see how women dressed and people interacted, in the old days. The mandatory head covering and lashings were introduced with the current government. Yes, Sudanese are very religious. They will pray, form groups to recite and memorize Quran, observing all the necessary sacred rituals. This wedding photograph of President Bashir shows that the infuriating minutes he spent telling women how to fasten their head scarves in the Presidential Speech (now known as Al Wathba Speech) that sparked the demonstrations of September 2013 was just a waste of air time (debatably, the whole speech was).There are some very conservative sects and families but the general population is pretty laid back. Invite them to a wedding and watch them party – President included.

Sudaress / Via sudaress.com

Scroll through photographs of old Sudan, to see how women dressed and people interacted, in the old days. The mandatory head covering and lashings were introduced with the current government. Yes, Sudanese are very religious. They will pray, form groups to recite and memorize Quran, observing all the necessary sacred rituals.

This wedding photograph of President Bashir shows that the infuriating minutes he spent telling women how to fasten their head scarves in the Presidential Speech (now known as Al Wathba Speech) that sparked the demonstrations of September 2013 was just a waste of air time (debatably, the whole speech was).

There are some very conservative sects and families but the general population is pretty laid back. Invite them to a wedding and watch them party – President included.

3. Sudanese women are to be reckoned with.

Sudanese women are pioneers in science, politics and activism. Sudan boasts the first female parliamentarian in Africa and the Middle East (1965) and the first female Minister of Health (1974). Sudan brought the Middle East its first female judge, cinematographer, football referee, army and police officers.

Recently, social networks commemorated Al Azza Mohammed Abdallah, wife of Ali Abdellatif, a national hero. In 1924, she became the first woman to lead a military demonstration in the capital, Khartoum. One historian estimated the number of demonstrators at 20,000 in that procession. The Sudanese woman is referred to as “Azza” in traditional lore, commonly perceived as homage to her.

In the government crackdown of September 2013, women were amongst those demonstrating and subsequently beaten, jailed and killed.

4. Hospitality is not optional.

Among the various Sudanese customs, hospitality takes center stage. Visit any home in Sudan and you will be given the royal treatment. Refreshments are served immediately, followed by meals, sweet tea (we’re really big on tea) or local coffee (jabana) and anything else on hand. The offers continue as long as you stay. You will be offered seconds and thirds and asked to stay for the next meal. It is not enough that you partake of the candy bowl but you will be pressed to take some with you for your family and if you ate a meal, you might find yourself carrying a plate home.

Regardless of the host’s economic situation or the contents of their refridgerator; what they have is yours. This can lead to awkwardness as refusing hospitality is offensive even if you mean well. The visitor is left to strike a balance between accepting what is offered while avoiding cleaning out the pantry.

This theme is prevalent all over Sudan. Even war torn Darfur is not an exception.

5. Sudanese are spread out all over the world.

The economic and political situation has driven Sudanese out in droves to seek their livelihood and freedom. The Secretariat of Sudanese Working Abroad [Ar] declined to give a specific number without an official request and the interactive map on the website is confusing and most probably outdated – as is most of the information in the public domain.

The reality is that many homes depend on the supplemented income provided by a family member turned expatriate.

The Sudanese Diaspora has given birth to a homeless generation that yearns to return but the collapse of education (evident in these photos of rural “classrooms” here, here and here ) and healthcare in Sudan coupled with alarmingly high (and grossly under reported) unemployment rates, force them to stay abroad and raise children that may or may not consider Sudan “home”.

6. We know each other.

Some people are fascinated with six degrees of separation but sit any two Sudanese down together and they will find a much closer connection. They will start the conversation off with the standard family names, move on to geographical questions, go through various educational institutes and wrap up with tribal affiliations and connections by marriage.

If they do not immediately find a relationship, they will venture on a quest until they find the elusive thread that connects them.

This is one of the more interesting Sudanese characteristics that is fading away. As more people leave, ties to their roots reluctantly diminish. Or not so reluctantly. Today, Sudanese are less eager to acknowledge one another abroad, which I learned the hard way while traveling, having received a blank stare to my excited greeting one too many times .

7. Sudanese are hooked on WhatsApp.

Everyone with a smart phone uses this app. In colloquial Sudanese, it is referred to as “Al Whaats”.

Many people in the United States had not heard of WhatsApp before Facebook acquired it. I am yet to come across a Sudanese who doesn’t know what this app is or what it does.

Given the geographical distribution of people, high levels of illiteracy and relatively affordable (yet erratic) internet service, WhatsApp is the perfect communication media.

Users send out texts, audio and share pictures while swapping links and spiritual literature. Another common use is the exchange of political, tribal and lewd jokes.

The widespread use and abuse of WhatsApp inspired this cautionary video.

Earlier this year, Sudanese police identified and arrested a number of youths who shared a WhatsApp video of themselves raping an Ethiopian migrant worker. (Her attackers were caught but her woes are far from over).

Sudanese activists use WhatsApp to broadcast information, in the absence of press freedoms and independent, verifiable sources. It is deemed more difficult for the government to monitor than text messages – hence safer. The government repeatedly threatens to jam it for “national security”.

8. You can take a Sudanese out of Sudan but you can’t take Sudan out of the Sudanese.

Sudanese will seek their traditions, cuisine and local brands wherever they go. Americans can have their Oreos because Sudanese will still bring their Baraka or Royal Biscuits stateside. No carbonated drink can compare to Pasgianos.

Dried okra powder (weika) is an indispensable ingredient in traditional dishes, more valuable than gold dust to the Sudanese cook abroad. Google can try as it may, but that is one ingredient substitute you will never find.

Paris can have its perfumes and all over the world people can scramble for the latest beauty treatments but a Sudanese woman will always seek her smoke bath (dukhaan), scented exfoliate (dilka) and musky perfumed khumra. Sudanese will turn their nose up at French cheese but drool at the mention of “Braided Cheese“. As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, the first thing Sudanese will source are the purplish brown folds of “Abreh“, whether they are in Sudan or abroad. The unrivalled thirst quenching beverage is made by soaking these aromatic concoctions in water, passing the mixture through a sieve and sweetening to taste. Bottoms up!

Blog, Creative Writing, Political Party, Sudanhub, Uncategorized, Youth Group

​If that Helicopter Hadn’t Have Crashed…

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I have recently asked myself how Sudan would have been so different the Vice President of our nation hadn’t so tragically died in a suspicious helicopter crash way bak in 2006, now more than 10 years ago.

The two main questions we as Sudanese people of all ages and across the two divides both north and south are…
Were we, are we, or will we ever be ready to be ruled by a tribe from the south or even the west for that matter which would have been case as most likely Vice President John Garang would have won in a landslide at the next possible elections, even with if the elections were not too transparent.
Would the South vote to leave? And would there be peace all over Sudan. I believe the country would have remained whole, and the fighting in Darfur would have ended. With no new fighting breaking out in Kordofan or Blue Mountains.
The CPA was such an amazing and long document….and if it had been fully implemented then Sudan would have had a chance.
One of the things the CPA wanted to do was to remove the army outside of Khartoum, this would have led to stability and stopped the constant army coupes that are all too frequent in Sudan’s recent history.
Also the integration of the South People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) with the regular army would have created a powerful protective force which would have allowed us to be removed from international influence, and would have given us the ability to make our own influence felt both in the arab world and the african world alongside being an international force.
Economically we have been destroyed. Our currency war and hyperinflation would never have happened. Instead of our economy shrinking every year for the past six years, we would have seen massive growth. The oil flow would not have been interrupted and we would most likely have stuck to the 50/50 split with the south which would have helped transform Sudan. 
The period from the beginning of the negotiation of the CPA and the death of John Garang from 2004-06 was a period of stability and major investment. Many roads were built and projects began. Imagine if this had continued along with strategic investment and proper planning on improving transport and logistics. I don’t think we would have the crazy and chaotic traffic that is not only creating so much pollution but ravaging the economy. Time wasting crossing those brides. While other countries think about making 12 or even 15 lane cars, our efforts are a little more short termisim. Why would we need 80 new medical universities but only four or five hospitals instead of forty or fifty.
Would we only have built one or two bridges between Omdurman and Khartoum, or more like five or six. And our airport has long since passed its maximum capacity without saying its size capacity being the starting point of the countries rapid boom in the capital khartoum, while even just across the river Omdurman and Bahri struggle to compete or catch up so what chance does any outside khartoum, or even outside Sudan.
Not just linking the twin capital cities, but a stable peace would link all the cities both by road and rail. Oil revenues would continue to flow as a united country and the insane currency war and hyperinflation that has bankrupted both the new nations.
With all these what ifs Would we be able to overcome the issues that continue to haunt us to this day, Garang once said a nation does not go to mosque on Friday, nor does it go to church on Sunday. Also Garang warned about Abeiy. He had plans for all the major issues which we as a culture are afraid to address as well as showcase an identity that would have been inclusive and we could all believe in, it would have been a new sudan… Not the mostly empty words Barak Obama has said over and over “change u can believe in” and to be fair i don’t think he left the world in a better place than he found it, bearing in mind he also won a peace prize.
I just want to to think what could have been…and
No matter what it takes, one day we will get there, too many people gave their lives for a free identity that includes them that they can be part off, feel proud of, have no shame in, not be shamed by, included, ur uniqueness appreciated rather that shunned or a standard that everyone needs to conform too.

And as so many people do find that in our Sudanese music, sudanese foods, Sudanese traditions. But look around us….what spperates us is more than brings us together; age, male/female, proffession, marital status, let alone all the under current ones; family, tribe, diaspora, where they live, level of arabic, skin colour, wealth or whatever else we subliminally judge as “sudanese”.

The way I see it with over 500 tribes and languages we have to celebrate our uniqueness, our diversity, and use that to bring us together not tear us apart.

Unify in our diversity so we prosper together… Unity, Diversity, Prosperity…

10 Things, Creative Writing, Sudanhub

Ten More things you didn’t know about Sudan

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Written by Sudanipreneur
One:

The Sudans main export is oil (Although 75% was in the South Sudan, which became a landlocked country relying on the pipelines and refineries in the North to be exported from Port Sudan), sesame, copper, livestock, agriculture, peanuts, Arabic Gum (Along with coke the only two items exempt from Us Sanctions).

Two:

The costal sea town of Suakin was an important city over the centuries, as it is the closest point from Africa to Mekkah and Medina in the Arabian peninsula. It’s importance has reduced with the building of the new city of Port Sudan, which with its deep sea access makes it more viable with the new tankers that regularly cross the Red Sea and into the Suez Canal.

Three:

Following the separation of the two Sudans engaged in a bitter currency war which has created mass hyper inflation for both the newly created currencies which has had quite a devastating impact on both new nations economies and has caused much hardship and a large deterioration on both countries standard of living for the people.

Four:

The Sudanese were the first and only army to break a British Military Square formation, in open warfare, with the Mahadiya Armies gaining many vital victories. (The New Zealand Maoris managed to also break the British Square, but they lured the British into forest and mountain terrains).

Five:

The Mahadiya Army captured Khartoum, with the British ruler in Sudan, General Charles Gordon, known as Chinese Gordon for his victories during the Opium Wars between the British & Chinese, “Controversially killed”, and the Victorious Mahadiya Army allegedly sent the Head to Queen Victoria.


Six: T

he British revenge and reconquest of The Sudan, led by Lord Horatio Kitchener of Khartoum, 1st Earl Kitchener (Most famous for being the face of those “Your Nation needs you” recruitment posters during WW2), with the introduction and first time use of The Machine Gun against the swords and spears of the Mahadiya Armies standing no chance. Kitchener won the decisive Battle of Omdurman, where the Khalifa refused to attack before dusk with the cover of darkness.

Seven:

The University of Khartoum which started life as Gordon College was once one of the best universities in the MENA region along with the University of Damascus, until it was arabized in the 1980’s which led to a fall in the level of research and to its rapid decline in the world rankings.

Eight:

Sudanese are some of the one of the most welcoming, friendly, genuine and and hospitable people anywhere in Africa, many foreigners talk of this during their first visits to Sudan.

Nine:

Sudan is also one of the most tribal and politically active and divided societies, with racism a major plague of the society, as evidenced by Sudan’s place in the Top Three in the list of countries by racism ranking alongside Somalia & Yemen.

Ten:

Sudan has a big challenge figuring out who she is,with a constant battle between Arab and African identity tearing both the people and the country apart, dividing and confusing everything with the lines so blurred and thin it is a hopeless battle with no end.

10 Things, Blog, Creative Writing, Sudanhub

Another Ten things bout Sudan you didn’t know

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Written by Sudanipreneur

One:

The Sudan comes from the Arab word Al Sud, meaning land of The Blacks.

Two:

The Sudan was known as “The Bread Basket of the World” for its vast reservoirs of underground water, its dense and vast regions of fertile lands, which meant that that land alone had the capacity to feed the entire world.

Three:

The Capital of the Northern region of The Sudans, Khartoum, means Elephant Trunk, describing the meeting of the Blue and the White Niles, converging as they unite, before flowing North into Egypt

Four:

The sight of the Blue and White Niles is often referred to as The Longest Kiss

Five:

The Ancient Sudanese Empire, better known amongst their enemies as The Ta Seti, or land of the bow, for their superior skills with the Bow and Arrow

 Six:

The Ancient Sudanese Empire was also known as Nubia, which meant land of Gold, the Nubians were famous for having gold in abundance which meant there have been discoveries of gold eyebrow tweezers and hand cuffs

Seven:

The Sudans have been under US Economic sanctions which means no Us or EU companies can operate there, including Mastercard and Visa, ever since 1998, when Clinton needed a distraction from political scandals and so he decided to bomb a pharmaceutical factory claiming it to be a weapons manufacturing depot

Eight:

The Sudans have the fastest growing telecommunications industries in the world, in part by the pioneering efforts of Mo Ibrahim

Nine:

The Sudans were the first nation in Africa and the Middle East to start the education of girls, in 1907 with the opening of Ahfad School by Sheik Babiker Bedri, which quickly gained the support and funding of the British Colonising Powers

Ten:

The Sudans were one of the first nations to have a female minister with the appointment of Fatima Abd el-Mamoud as the Minister of Social Welfare from 1976-79 and has higher percentage of women in Parliament at 25%, than US 17.8%, UK 225.5% and Malaysia 13.2%

10 Things, Creative Writing, Sudanhub

10 Things you didn’t know about Sudan

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Written by Sudanipreneur

One:

Compared to Egypt’s 80 Pyramids, Sudan has over three times as many with over 300 known pyramids located all over The Sudans

Two:

The Sudans are over 1,000,000^2 miles, that is over One Million Square Miles, the largest country in Africa, the Middle East and the largest predominantly muslim country

Three:

The Sudans have had Africa’s longest running civil war, with over 50 years of constant war, leading to over 2 million dead, many millions displaced, and the recent division of the Nation into two Regions

Four:

The Sudans are the first and only nation to have power transferred to a fully democratically elected, fully functioning parliament, from a European Colonising super power, with the British & Egyptian powers transferring full power to the Independent Republic of Sudan on the 1 January 1956

Five:

The Sudans had the first African Revolution and popular mass demonstrations removing the political powers, and were already on revolution number three at the Rise of the Arab Spring, having ousted the British during the Mahadiya Revolt and Uprising in 1885, and the overthrow of two Military Dictatorships of Ibrahim Abood in October 1964 and Jaafar El Nimari in 1985, with the current military take over by Omar El Bashir in 1989 continuing to hold onto power.
Six:

The Sudans were the only nation in the British Empire reporting to the British Foreign Office directly as opposed to the Ministery of the Commonwealth, which meant all the ruling commanders where OxBridge Alum, and had extensive experience

Seven:

The Sudans decided to leave the British Commonwealth region and join the Arab League

Eight:

At the birth of the newly independent nation the British left the Sudans with the Best education system, postal system, rail network and bureaucratic system in the British Empire, which due to mismanagement and constant political upheaval has been ravaged and destroyed in recent times

Nine:

The Sudans are the most diverse and multicultural region with over 500 tribes, 200 dialects and languages and trace their ancestory to ancient Nubian, Trukish, and Muslim empires with great diversity in color, skin tone, hair complexion throughout the diverse and vast regions of The Sudans

Ten:

The Sudans were one of the founding nations of not only the African Football Federation (CAF) but of the African Cup of Nations, along with Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa which was expelled from the First Edition due to the Apartheid Era policies in 1957, with The Sudans Football Team known by their nickname the Nile Crocodiles winning the 1979 edition which was hosted in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, their one and only victory

Blog, Business, Contributed, Interveiws, Magazine, News Paper, Sudanhub

Interview with Horn of Africa Business Association – HABA

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Compared many other Diaspora’s in the UK and elsewhere the Sudanese invariably prefer to keep a low profile. This below the radar approach whilst helpful in allowing gradual assimilation has hampered constructive engagement and commercial activity with Sudan. Those who know the Sudanese well will attest to the seemingly cautious nature of Sudanese investors, a conservatism that is in marked contrast with the activity of Ethiopia, Somalia and Somaliland. Ashraf Khalifa, the Founder of Sudan Hub (https://www.facebook.com/#!/SudanHub ) is eager to change this;

“The Sudanese Diaspora could be an immense force for good, it just needs a focus and to rediscover its confidence.” He acknowledge that the loss of South Sudan and the current political uncertainties have not helped matters, but is keen to point out that a generational change is already resulting in a less risk averse attitude. He believes that Sudan Hub can play a constructive role in bringing members of the Diaspora together, as well as helping them rediscover something of what it means to be Sudanese. “There are some extraordinary business opportunities in Sudan, but you would never think they existed if you follow the business press.”

He is candor about the challenges he faces; “It is early days. I know some people may shrug their shoulders and ask why am I bothering? Well I am very proud of my heritage and believe it is my duty to do what we can to bridge the gap, hence Sudan Hub. I am eager to hear from other members of the Sudanese Diaspora who feel the same.” He is not alone in wanting to help others discover something of the real Sudan. Sudan Volunteer Programme (http://svp-uk.com/) is a London based charity whose mission is to send graduates and under-graduates to Sudan to teach English at schools, colleges and universities. SVP recognizes that all concerned gain from its programmes, with participants coming away with a far greater appreciation of the subtleties and dynamics of one of Africa’s least understood nations.

This Article was written by Mark Jones of Horn of Africa Business Association (HABA)

Award Nomination, Blog, Business

Nomination for Young Entrepreneur Award

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Describe what you do and your service?

Our Business is called Sudanpreneur Ltd.

Sudanprneur is a online media platform, showcasing the Success of Sudanese individuals. Providing examples and case studies of those profiles giving role models and pioneers for the new generation young & old of Sudanese to aspire to.

This is the place to provide inspiration and realise it’s not to late to chase and fulfil those goals. With interviews to get the insights behind their journey and the struggles they had to over come.

When did you start and how?

I started my first business which has evolved and morphed into the current business which runs alongside the older one in 2011.

The current idea started in October 2014. I realised for me to be a successful young entrepreneur or even business man I needed to have a mentor. However since my business was in the niece “Sudanese diaspora” sector the advice I heard from the many people I approached was to get a Sudanese mentor.

Living in London that was difficult to achieve and I realised that Sudanese people don’t understand or realise the power of mentoring or even networking.

And so Sudanpreneur was born. A website, twitter, Instagram and Facebook platform highlighting the work of successful Sudanese from around the world, whether north, south, East & west, or half-Sudanese or even quarter-Sudanese or even your adopted-Sudanese.

What challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?

I have had many set backs, and challenges to disappointments and shocks, to joy and despair, to ecstasy and heart break, a lot pain but most of all I’d say the life of entrepreneur is that of loneliness.

The biggest challenge I have is dealing with failure but then I realised its a fear born from not wanting to deal with the consequences of failure, and so u fall back and I take less risks, and try and create the perfect project, but fear sharing it to avoid disappointment and criticism. I’ve had to work a lot to limit this as your creativity can get trapped in your own mind for fear of sharing and this leads to a lot of energy being wasted.

The biggest single set back was a double blow. In 2012 after working on my website with a designer and IT developer the server deleted the entire data from the server, followed by the loss of my laptop with all my backups, files, pictures, word documents. But somehow I was able to overcome that and I am much stronger because of that experience.

Your achievement?

I recently attended a short “set up your own business” course and there was a guest “motivational” speaker that came in to speak to us. He told us in most of the things you do in life success is very hard to define and measure. Teaching, social work, politics, how do you know whether you are doing well or not, whether you are successful or not. But in business it is very easy to see whether you are successful. If your making money you are successful, the more money you make the more successful you are.

If I judged my life on that criteria I would be a big failure. Haha as so far I haven’t made any money from Sudan Hub or Sudanpreneur.

This is a very difficult question. I have had a very interesting life. I have traveled a lot. I have had so many different jobs. I have met so many different people. I have had a lot of experiences. I have had so many adventures.

I have never been motivated by money and profit, but I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation. I have been involved in many many many projects, helping out family, cousins and friends to set up their projects, dreams, passions and businesses. As well as setting up numerous of my own projects, dreams, passions and businesses.

I feel like Sudan Hub is an amazing accomplishment, unfortunately it is a bit too far ahead of its time and it seems to me that people are either just not ready for it, or just don’t understand it. Haha but maybe one day, which I might not live to see, it will receive the appreciation and understanding it deserves.

So I would have to say that Sudanpreneur ranks as my greatest achievement. From the beginning I have been blown away by the support, as well as how well received it has been. I hope I have been able to both inspire people as well as open their eyes to achieve their dreams. But most importantly I hope I have made people feel more proud to be Sudanese.
The one thing I do want to say, feedback is very important so please let me know your thoughts, suggestions, how I can improve. Even just a thank you, or a compliment, or a hug.

Who helped you?

Many many people have helped me and supported me as pushed me or inspired me along my six year business journey so far.

Although I’m not quite where I would have expected to be after 6 years due to unforeseen setbacks and speed-bumps along the way. I am very great full for my progress and I thank god everyday.

I could never have done this without my mom and dad, who I am sure I have probably driven crazy over this journey and my beloved sister and brother who as a family have alway had my back through the thick and thin.

Also all my professors in Uni who have laid the foundations along with everyone I met and didn’t meet during my nearly fours in Guildford.

And all my bosses that I have had during my many partime jobs and full time jobs and internships both here in the UK as well as Denmark and Sudan.

To all my friends around the world for your support and prayers, as well as all my cousins back in Sudan and wherever you may be living I really do appreciate it.

I first met Janice on a workshop on how to set up your own business in 2012 when I decided to rebuild Sudanhub again after the old website got deleted. She provided so much support and inspiration even though I was going through a difficult time and I wasn’t believing in myself. But she made sure I didn’t quit.

It was then when I felt a little bit lost in the Summer (2016) that I immediately thought of Janice, and approached her to do an internship so that I could learn ad benefit from her wisdom and she immediately was interested and asked me to send her my cv and arranged an informal meeting/interview.

I’m glad I did because I’ve been interning with her for a few months now and I’m loving it.

Many of my bosses during previous internships and jobs have also been invaluable to my steep learning curve and have helped create the small success that make persevering sticking to the long journey ahead, and there are too many to name so I want to thank you all.

And to anyone else I’ve missed thank you.

Blog, Contributions, Sudanhub

Sudanese Identity

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Written By: Marafi Al Kandaka Siddig

So this is an answer to my post and a few other posts about the Sudanese identity. Respond from (Ramey Dawoud)

I’ve been asked by a few people to make this post sharing my opinion about our identity as Sudanese people based on Sudan’s history. This is a discussion for questioning, learning, and having a healthy conversation.. let’s not get upset and get into meaningless arguments please.

So the question is are we Arab or African? Well what is an Arab? What is an African? If an Arab is any person who speaks Arabic.. that does not make us Arabs because when the prophet said that he was referring to those who’s mother tongue is Arabic and at the time of the prophet ancestors did not speak Arabic. A mother tongue is your indigenous language, not the language you were forced to speak after war, colonization, or intermarriage. Also there are two categories of Arabs. There are Arabs who are indigenous Arabs and there are Arabized Arabs. Prophet Ismael married a woman from the tribes of the ancient Arabs who are beduins that live in Yemen and Oman today and speak a language that is not understood by Arabic speakers to this day, in fact it resembles the Geez languages (Amharic, Tigrinja, Beni Amir, etc).. most Arabs today claim descent from prophet Ismael who was a canaanite (Canaan was a brother of Kush, another son of Ham) and his Arab wife. Ismael himself has a Nubian (African) mother in Hajar. So either way Arabs are still related to Africans (Kushites) through the lineage od their mothers. And as far as being African goes.. well African is not an ethnic group. Africa is a name of a continent. And we are from that continent. This is not to say that some Sudanese tribes don’t have Arab roots.. that would be a lie. But we have to dig deep. Africa has almost every genetic code out there tracing back to it. This is no because outsiders are ancestors of Africans but the other way around. For example it’s scientifically possible for two black parents to have a white child. But it is scientifically impossible for two white parents to have a black child. And Allah is all powerful of course, we are just speaking from a scientific point of view. A simpler example is when a baby is born we say “the baby looks like it’s mother” we don’t tell the mother “you look like your baby”. Africa is the mother. The rest of the world are the children. So to say “Sudanese people look the way we do because we are a mixed race” is a flawed idea. The oldest mtDNA on earth traces back to the San people in southern Africa and they have yellow skin and slanted eyes.

Lets go back to ancient times.. what is Kush? It’s much more than really good weed believe it or not Lol. Kush was the son of Ham, who was the son of prophet Noah (Nuh). So the Kushites are the children of Kush son of Ham son of Noah. Kush was the elder brother of Mizraim (Misr: Egypt). However that entire region was called Kemet. What is Kemet? Kemet comes from the word “Kham” which is also another way of saying “Ham” who as we said is the son of Noah. Noahs children populated the world after the flood and Ham was the father of the Africans (Kemetic peoples).
So what language was dominant in udan before Arabic?
Lets look at the story of prophet Moses (Musa).
﷽
وَنَادَىٰ فِرْعَوْنُ فِى قَوْمِهِۦ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِىٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٥١﴾
English –
And Pharaoh called out among his people; he said, “O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me; then do you not see?(51)
Notice Pharaoh said “rivers” not “river”. So that means Pharaoh rules over a land that had many rivers and that is the same land where the story of Moses took place which was called “Misr “. Ancient Egypt is not modern Egypt. We all know borders of nations change throughout time (look at maps of Sudan before and after 2010). The Egypt or Misr of today only has one river, the Nile. Sudan has many rivers, main Nile, Blue Nile, White Nile, Atbara, etc. Also we know in the story of Moses he was rescued and was raised as Pharaohs son. His mother in the Torah is referred to as “Jochebed”, if we read the Torah in Arabic that name is “يوكابد/YoKabed”. “Yo” in he nubian language means motherand “kabid” comes from “kab” to eat. For example Nubians call gurrasa “kabida” similar to how bread is referred to as “عيش”. So yokabed means “the mother that feeds” and in Moses’ story that is exactly what Jochebed did, she breast fed young Moses. So we know that the Nubian language goes back to at least the time of prophet Moses.
Who spoke/speaks it?
Today when we say Nubian we refer to Kunuz, Fadijja (Aswan), Halfawyeen, Sikkot, Mahas, and Danagla. But those are not the only Nubian language speakers. The midob of Darfur also speak a Nubian language much similar to that of the Danagla and they trace their roots to the Nile as well as many tribes in the Nuba Mountains who also speak a Nubian language. So there are essentially three categories of Nubian speakers: Nile Nubians (Danagla/Mahas, etc), Kordofan Nubians (Karko, Ajanj, etc) and Darfur Nubians (Midob). There are diferences in the languages of course but they are all a part of the Nubian language family because they stem from the old Nubian language that was spoken in ancient Sudan. In fact when it comes to the Nile Nubians we are really all one. There is no ethnic group called Halfawyeen. Halfa is a plant, and the town was called Wadi Halfa after that plant. Dongola (Doonj, geila)literally means “red brick” and it was named after the red bricks used to build the city. which leaves us to Mahas and Sikkot. Sikkot (originally Sukkot)is a region between Halfa and Mahas. I is mentioned by name in the Torah (and Moses traveled to the Sukkot). Mahas isan arabized version of the word “Nahesi”. The Nahesi were the tribes living along the Nile river in lower Nubia. There was even a pharaoh from the Mahas region who called “Nehesi”, literally “الفرعون المحسي”.
So where did the Jaalyeen, Shaygiya, and others who claim Arab descent come from??
Nubia eventually became a Christian kingdom and broke up into three (Nobadia, Makuria, Alodia). Nobadia was the furthest north where Aswan and Halfa are today and was the most influenced by Egypt. Makuria was further south and Alodia was the furthest south stretching from the bend of the Nile to modern day Gizeira with it’s capital in Soba. The majority inhabitants of Alodia were the Nuba tribes who today live in Kordofan. Alodia is also the last to convert to Islam due to it’s distance.
So let’s focus on the islamization and arabization of these kingdoms.
We have to understand that this did not happen over night. In fact it took hundreds of years. War after war and battle after battle was fought between the Muslim rulers of Egypt and the Christian Nubians until a treaty called was signed and lasted for 700 years.
In fact it was in Sennar that Arabs were able to successfully spread Islam thus the Sultanate of Sennar was founded (السلطنة الزرقاء). Later the Funj people who settled in Sennar after fleeing the Shilluk, took over the Sultanate under the leadership of Amara Dunqas and changed it to the Funj Sultanate of Sennar. But before that, Abdallah Jamma who was seen an Islamic hero rose to power and was able to conquer Alodia. This is where there is controversy and Sudanese history gets confusing. Durng this time Alodia was very weak due to constant attacks by the Axumites (Eritrea/Ethiopia) (this can be found in writing by King Ezana of Axum).. After Abdallah Jamma, we find that the people of Alodia now call themselves the Abdallab and they claimed to be Arabs. Abdallah Jamma himself could not have been the ancestor of the Abdallab, his empire only lasted less than 100 years. So who are the Abdallab? They are simply the followers of Abdallah Jamma who to this day sing of the victories over the Kushites (دخلوها و صقيرها حام).. Even his name Jamma ,meaning the gatherer, was given to him because he would gather the people and was seen as a successful Muslim leader. By this time Arabic was beginning to take over from Nubian as the main language of the region (central Sudan). Alodia (the area of the shaygiya, jaaliyeen, down to Jizeira) began speaking Arabic while Makuria and Nobatia (the area of Danagla, Mahas, Sikkot, Halfa) united up north and continued speaking Nubian.
When the Arabs came over did they have women with them? Probably not. So lets imagine this.. in order to have children and continue the lineage the Arabs would have to marry the women available who happened to be Nubian.. if an Arab man has a child with a Nubian woman that child is 50% Nubian and 50% Arab. That child would grow up and have a child from either a 100%Nubian woman where that child would then be 75/25.. or he would have a child with a mixed woman where that child would still be 50/50.. in time the Nubian genes overtake the Arab because simply nubians outnumbered the Arabs. But in Nubian (African) culture the children take claim to the mothers ancestry .. even during pharaonic times a child could not be king unless his mother was a native Kushite.. while in Arab culture they take claim to the father.. which is why the Abdallab began claiming to be Arab, even though they had little to no Arab lineage at all.
Again this is based on my research and the many books and people I’ve spoken to. I don’t mean to offend anyone and I don’t want anyone to take my word for it. I recommend you do your own research. We are all learning everyday and asking questions and being open minded is a wonderful thing. Allah knows best.

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An Interview with Sudanpreneur

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An interview with Sudanpreneur & Ashraf Nageeb KhalifaAshraf Khalifa

Tell us a bit about yourself? 

My name is Ashraf Nageeb Khalifa Mahgoub. I am 27 years old. I was born in Liverpool. I support Manchester United. Im from Molazmeen in Omdurman.

Tell us about your early school days?

Due to the nature of my father’s job, we constantly moved countries when I was growing up. I actually went to eight different schools in five different countries. The first school I went to was the British School in Indonesia when I was four or five, so I don’t really remember it very well. We then moved to Kenya when I was five and I went to International School of Kenya (ISK) which was an American System so I was put in Kindergarten as they start school a year latter. I stayed at ISK from KG to grade four and I have some good memories.

In 1999 my family and I moved to Jordan, where me and my brother attended the International Community School (ICS) which was a British System. I attended for three years doing years 6 – 8. While I really enjoyed year 7 and 8, year 6 was a horrible experience, as I struggled with both adjusting to the system but also to the British way of spelling.

After those three years me and my brother moved to Amman Baccalaureate School (ABS) which my sister went to. Unfortunately after the end of the first semester the start of the Iraq war saw us evacuated, and we ended up in Liverpool for about 8 months, in which time I attended Merchant Taylor’s School for Boys in Crosby, Liverpool. Merchant Taylor’s claim to fame is that, a long long time ago a bunch for boys who graduated from Merchant Taylor’s went to Spain and decided to start a football team…Today that football team is known as the Mighty Barcelona. After the war we went back to Jordan and I finished grade 8 before going to Sudan on holiday.

The holiday to Sudan became a permanent holiday hahha, and although I thought from the outside Unity was a much cooler place, I did not want to go back a grade, and so I decided to go to Khartoum American School (KAS) in which I spent two amazing years, especially my second year where I had some of the best teachers in my life, Mrs Ramzi, Ms Commosoti, Mr Waugh, Ms Maie Fadl, teachers who have had the biggest impact in my life. I did grades 10-11 and I had some great times. I always refer to these years 2004-06 as the golden era as the CPA finally brought peace and oil money was flowing and investment was happening. The adjustment to the American system was tough and it took a while to adjust, as was adjusting to Sudan as a holiday is different from living there. But I know studying at KAS doesn’t show you the real Sudan.

At the end of grade 11 my brother got sick and we moved to London for treatment. And I was faced with that same choice again, switching to the British system and going back a year, or going to a college and doing a foundation year, or staying in the American system and finishing my final year. I decided to stick with the american system. I did my senior year at the American School in London (ASL).

Joining a new school is always difficult, but joining a new school for your senior year was something else. I really enjoyed my time at ASL and I managed to do AP classes in Economics and Statistics that were not available back in KAS, I had some amazing teachers, made some great friends and had a great experience.
I hope I haven’t confused you so much and you were able to keep up with that haha.

How many brothers and sisters did you have, how did this impact and effect you?

I have one older sister, who is a year and a half older than me, as well as one younger brother who is also a  year and a half younger than me. As the middle child… Also I am the oldest son so that brings with it, its own pressure and responsibility.

As the middle child I was always the peace maker in the house. I have a go with the flow attitude and don’t tend to rock the boat so much. I have a good strong relationship with everyone in the family.

I guess being a middle child has played a pivotal role in shaping my personality. I am outgoing, social, creative but also don’t like confrontation, am very much a people pleaser and connect with people easily.

Where did you go to university and what did you study and why?

I went to the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom in September 2007 and graduated in 2010 with a BSc (Hons) Degree.

Initially I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study or where. My father discouraged me to go to the US for university, even though I was at an American School, as he wasn’t the biggest fan. I applied to the American Universities of Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Paris, Sharjah & Rome.

I also applied to UK universities, which I was able to do because I took AP classes which were not available in my School in Sudan at the time. Unfortunately with Ucas you had to apply for the actual course, not like the American system where you major in your third or fourth year. I was still not sure what I wanted to study but gave into the pressure of my uncles and cousins who pushed me to do engineering. So all my choices where for chemical engineering, with a foundation year. I managed to get an offer from Newcastle, Nottingham, Surrey & Southbank with only my top choice of Manchester rejecting me.

After visiting Newcastle for the Ucas interview and not understanding anything anyone was saying, even in Burger King I decided it wasn’t the city for me. Surrey on the other hand was absolutely awesome, I loved the campus and another benefit my cousin was about to start his final year there.

As the end of the year started to approach i got accepted into AUB and i realised I didn’t want to do engineering. I had my heart set on AUB and even got my visa and everything. But also I was communicating with the admissions team at Surrey trying to change my application to Business.

Once my results came out the admissions team at Surrey told me about this program called Entrepreneurship in Technology, IT & Business, and that the program director was happy to accept me straight into first year.
After reading up about the course and finding  out more about it I realised that this was the perfect course for me…and the rest is history.

What do you feel is your greatest achievement to date? 

I recently attended a short “set up your own business” course and there was a guest “motivational” speaker that came in to speak to us. He told us in most of the things you do in life success is very hard to define and measure. Teaching, social work, politics, how do you know whether you are doing well or not, whether you are successful or not. But in business it is very easy to see whether you are successful. If your making money you are successful, the more money you make the more successful you are.

If I judged my life on that criteria I would be a big failure. Haha as so far I haven’t made any money from Sudan Hub or Sudanpreneur.

This is a very difficult question. I have had a very interesting life. I have traveled a lot. I have had so many different jobs. I have met so many different people. I have had a lot of experiences. I have had so many adventures.

I have never been motivated by money and profit, but I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation. I have been involved in many many many projects, helping out family, cousins and friends to set up their projects, dreams, passions and businesses. As well as setting up numerous of my own projects, dreams, passions and businesses.

I feel like Sudan Hub is an amazing accomplishment, unfortunately it is a bit too far ahead of its time and it seems to me that people are either just not ready for it, or just don’t understand it. Haha but maybe one day, which I might not live to see, it will receive the appreciation and understanding it deserves.

So I would have to say that Sudanpreneur ranks as my greatest achievement. From the beginning I have been blown away by the support, as well as how well received it has been. I hope I have been able to both inspire people as well as open their eyes to achieve their dreams. But most importantly I hope I have made people feel more proud to be Sudanese.
The one thing I do want to say, feedback is very important so please let me know your thoughts, suggestions, how I can improve. Even just a thank you, or a compliment, or a hug?

What does being Sudanese mean to you?

I am very proud to be Sudanese. For me having travelled a lot growing up it was important for me to have an identity to call my own. I used to go to Sudan pretty much every holiday. But at the same time I created both Sudan Hub and Sudanpreneur to explore and research and discover what it meant to be Sudanese. And five years latter I still don’t know.

Being Sudanese is the most confusing thing in the world. There are a lot of bad things in our culture that we need to eradicate but at the same time seem to have defined our Sudanisim, and I find this is true no matter where we go. I refer to the gossip, the judging, the “Inta walad mino”, the gatee3a, the 7asada, the rascisim (direct and indirect), the way that we like to avoid each other, the way we dont support each others businesses but instead talk bad, the way we dont celebrate our success and its always 3ogbal al jaya, the fact we don’t want to acknowledge the evil and horrible history of our nation, the confusion of are we arab or african, our love of “falsafa”, our inability to actually ask a question instead of going on rant or a tangent during “Nadwas”or “Forums” or “Discussions” etc. I could go on but i think you get the gist of what im saying.

There are also the good things about being Sudanese. The way we genuinely will go out of are way to help someone in need; with financial reward the last thing on our mind, our amazing sense of hospitality, our generosity, but at the same time is that really only Sudanese characteristics, or is that African culture, or Arab culture.
I don’t know what being Sudanese means, but what I do know is that our country is so Big, so diverse, so many tribes, so many languages, so many terrains, so many traditions. What being Sudanese means to me is the Sudan I grew up visiting. The Sudan I was proud to say was the biggest county in Africa. Now I haven’t been back to Sudan since November 2010, since before the separation. So that is the Sudan I know. And that is what being Sudanese means to me. Unity, Diversity & Prosperity.

What do you rate as success and how do you define it?

I would say success is how much of an impact you have on the world as well as overcoming adversity. Success brings with it responsibility. Success brings with it change, whether it is changing the way a particular business is done, or changing peoples perception of you. The difference between a good business man and a successful one is that one is focused on profit and money, while the other one is focused on change, innovation, continues improvement and the impact his work has.
I know I haven’t explained it very well but I hope you get the point I am trying to make

Who would you say is the most influential Sudanese?

I would struggle to pick just one and so I am going to cheat a little bit and pick four. In this category I take into account impact on Sudanese. They are in no particular order:

  • John Garang: A man like no other, a man who had a dream and a vision which would have created a New Sudan, A Better Sudan.
  • Abdelrahman El Mahadi: A visionary and a forward thinker, the man who did the most to help us achieve our dream of independence.
  • Babiker Bedri & Yousif Babiker Bedri: A pioneer and a visionary, the men who singlehandedly changed the fate of the Sudanese girl and women forever.

Who would you say is the most successful Sudanese?

I would also struggle to pick just one and so I have decided to pick two. This category I take into account success on a global scale.

  • Zeinab Badawi: The Media Queen herself.
  • Mo Ibrahim: The Telecoms entrepreneur, the man who changed how we communicate with each other. As well as his amazing efforts and determination with his Foundation to tackle corruption and encourage transparency and good governance.

What is your favourite quote?

“The difference between a businessman and an entrepreneur is that a businessman chases money, while an entrepreneur chases success because he knows money follows success.”

Anything Else you want to add?

I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement. I would also like to add on a personal level the people who have influenced me the most are my father Nageeb Khalifa, and although I have never met him my grandfather Khalifa Mahgoub.

I am so proud and amazed by amount of innovation and entrepreneurship that is going on in Sudan. And I am glad gone are the good old days when I had to explain to people what i studied when I told people i did Technology Entrepreneurship.

I want to ask each and everyone of you personally to do something for me. Make sure you go to Sudan Hub and Sudanpreneur Facebook pages, make sure you click like and then click the invite your friends button, and invite every single person in your facebook. And then make sure you all follow the Instagram pages and the twitter pages. And then you also check out the websites at least once a week. But most importantly please engage, comment, like, message, share, anything.

Please share your Contact information with those interested in conecting with you: 

My facebook name is Ashraf Khalifa, or u can find me if you search akhalifa89

I also have a personal blog which you can check out onhttp://www.ashrafkhalifa.com which I would love to get your feedback on.

My twitter is @akhalifa89, although i don’t really use is much as I am also busy tweeting with both @sudanpreneur and @sudanhub

My instagram is @akhalifa89 which i do use but also both @sudanpreneur and @sudanhub instapages keep me quite busy

My email address is either ashraf@sudanhub.com or akhalifa89@gmail.com
My mobile number is +447475711433 which is also my watsapp

Thank you very much for your time, very much appreciated

Yours 

Ashraf Khalifa on behalf of Sudanpreneur Group

Business, Creative Writing, Speech, Sudanhub

Sudan Engineers Society UK & Ireland Relaunch Event – My Speech

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Salam 3alekom wa ra7mato allah wa barakato….
Dair abda bel awal be takreem wa shokor al sayd tarik le majhoodo al jabar fe ta7reek wa tarjee3 al (jaleya) wa tanseem al barnamij al reeheb al lati ni7na kolana mabsooteen beho. Wa bardo dair ashkor al sayed dr taha elhagg wa al sayed ali askouri, awal ashan adona min wakitom al gali, wa bardo ashan mamnoonin le al forsa nakhod min khibratom al was3a. Man 3ashara gawoman 40 youm sar mithlahom.
Im sorry guys, unfortunetly im going to switch it to english. I would like to firstly introduce myself, my name is ashraf nageeb khalifa. I graduated from the university of surrey in 2010, with a bsc in entrepreneurshipin techhnology, it and business. Thankfully as my degree program was part of the engineering department at uni, i am qualified to speak to you today ?
Back to the topic of today that i am meant to be speaking to u about. Sudan hub, so what is sudan hub. I think the best way to describe sudan hub is that it is a a project that started way back in 2011, as well as being a personal journey to discover my sudanese identity, my roots. But at the same time it a project that is driven by being self sustainable and has never been about profit.
The main reason for starting this project is a little bit of a personal story, but also a long winded story which would take me over my time limit, so ill share some of the shorter driving motivators with u instead.
Firstly I didnt have a typical sudanese upbringing, or for that matter typical by any standards. Due to my dads work, we were transfered from country to country every four or five years growing up, and i went to eight different schools growing up in five or six different countries. I would go to sudan most holidays, and i even had the good fortune to live there for two years, after a holiday ended up as a permanent holiday.
I lived in sudan during the peak of the bashir years. Right after the signing of the CPA, peace with the south, revenue sharing. And i went to khartoum american school. One of the things that really sticks with me is hearing about the sunt project, which was meant to create a large business hub, office space, financial center which was going to be the biggest in africa, and a rival to dubai. Unfortunately this project like many in sudan did not come to completion.
Due to unforeseen circumstances i ended up moving to uk temporarily, and im happy to tell you all that i am still here temporarily nearly 9, 10 years latter.
It is that temporarily mentality i discovered played a prominent role in my dna and make up, when trying to discover who i am as not onli a sudanese 26 year old, but a sudanese full stop.
That is what sudan hub is. Also the other primary motivator was the blank looks on peoples faces when i tell them im from sudan. I quickly discovered that there several gaps which i wittnesed first hand made it hard for me to figure out what it means for me to be sudanese.
The first is the gap between us sudanese in diaspora, and the local sudanese. Especially prominent at a younger age gap. Im sure many of you might have witnessed this first hand when constantly trying to keep upto date with the latest slang. And then u know when u forget the meaning of that one word in arabic, and so u desperately try to avoid but then u end up with no choice and so u say it in english. And wow the reaction is just so unbearable, shofo da khawaja, shayeef nafso a7san minana.
The second gap i found was between the older generation and the youth. Not the little kids, but the youth. Thankfully i grew up politically neutral, and so i dont have any stones tied around my waist, and this lets me attend any sudanese event no matter which party or organisation is hosting it, without having to deal with any headaches, or inner turmoil, or debate. And i have noticed that from all events across the board sudanese people from the ages 17-30 just do not attend, have no interest.
That was why i decided to use the bridging the gap slogan.
I am both a youth and a diaspora, and half an engineer. So i wanted to share my own personal experience with you today.
From my near four journey i learnt so many things about my country, my culture, my city, my family, my history. I discovered sudan has more than 300 pyramids, i learnt sudan has the most diverse range of tribes and languages in africa, most importantly the importance of the city of suakin.
I learnt that sudan was a country in the continent of africa. And this made me look bak on my life and realise. I have recently come to the conclusion that there are two men inside my head, both of equal size and strength fighting for control. One is the african man inside me, and the other is the arab man. Because they are so equal one side can onli donminate for small periods of time. But i feel this is a global battle. The real battle for what it means to be sudanese. Unfortunately due to their equal prowes the two men decided to split everything in half and not have to deal with each other, which has lead to more issues and problems. Because these men can onli live together in harmony. And with out the other they will just start the battle all over but this time in their own head.
I want to take u bak to something i said earlier. Man 3ashara gawman 40 youm sara mithlahom. I think that is our biggest issue as sudanese. Its that temporary menatlity, one foot wherever you are, and one foot back home in sudan. As the older generation it might work for you. But as youth no chance. This just leads to confusion. I can prove this in action quite easily. Most of you older generation are quite annoyed with me for deciding to do my speech in english, while the youth actually love the fact i decided not to do it in arabic. We live in england where the main offical language is english. Im suprised that the whole event was not in english, in the same way im suprised that sudanese events in France are not in french, in spain in spanish, in malaysia in mali, in kenya in keswahili.
I learnt that sudan has over 500 dialects or languages. We should be proud of this fact but instead what do we do, we call it rutana, dismiss it. We should be proud to come from a place that is so diverse and cultured, we should be honored proud to be able to say good morning to our neighbours in their own languages, and even more when they reply in ours.
My aunty told me of when she went to school inthe 50s and 60s, she was taught english arabic and french fluently. And was taught to play tennis, swim and netball.
We should have at least 7 of our national languages in our school ciriculaum.
I leave u with sudan hub groups moto: unity, diversity and prosperity.