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​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)

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.

Business, Creative Writing, Speech, Sudanhub

Sudan Engineers Society UK & Ireland Relaunch Event – My Speech

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sesuki logo

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.

Blog, Creative Writing, Sudanhub

The End of Visiting Time

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20140716-014124 am-6084596.jpg

So I had some good news today, personal, but of a medical  nature, and this reminds me of a story I heard sometime long ago, about the former president of Sudan, who took over in a military take over and was ruling as a dictator, Ibrahim Abood. One day two government officials came to tell him of the news of the passing of one of his friends in the army I believe. He was having dinner at the time and upon hearing the news was very upset as this was a close friend.

20140716-014004 am-6004921.jpg

They were about to embark when President Abood decided to go back pray the sunset (Magrib) prayers. And so they all made wadu and prayed and then got ready. Again they decided to head out and just before they were about get in the car, when the president asked what time it was. When told it was 10 to 8 he responded by saying: by the time we get there visiting time will be over, and the gafeer (guard) wouldn’t let me in. Look how much respect he had for the job of the security guard and would never abuse his authority.

This coming from the president of the country. It just goes to show the attitude of the people in charge effects and filters down to the people they rule. True leadership means you abide and follow your own rules.

And also shows how far we have fallen as a nation…just food for thought.