In Sudan, a war too often ignored has torn apart lives, crippled institutions, and forced more than thirteen million people from their homes. A humanitarian crisis ravages the present and threatens both past and future, jeopardizing a rich cultural legacy. SEEING SUDAN: POLITICS THROUGH ART convened a historic gathering of academics, artists, and activists to examine the relationship between sociopolitical dynamics and cultural production. This conference, the tenth installment of Georgetown University in Qatar’s acclaimed Hiwaraat series, generated critical insights into Sudanese creativity and resilience in the face of violence and displacement.
If one thread runs through this conference it is that there is no single Sudanese story…to see Sudan is to see them all. In seeing Sudan through art, through culture, we see humanity itself.”
—Dean Safwan Masri
Day 1 Highlights
Day 2 Highlights
Day 3 Highlights
News
Historic Gathering of Sudanese Artists and Thinkers Sheds Light on Crisis and Offers Hope for Future
Acclaimed journalist and GU-Q Practitioner-in-Residence Nesrine Malik captured the essence of the gathering, saying: “The challenge has been to think not only about what is the war in Sudan, but what is Sudan itself. With the erasure of cultural memories, physical artifacts, and history, the only way to hold on to it has been storytelling, narrative, music, literature, and art.”
Arts Generate Action When Politics Fail: Drawing Attention to Catastrophe at “Seeing Sudan” Conference
While the world averts its eyes from the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, GU-Q opened its Hiwaraat conference season with an urgent reminder: See Sudan Now. In the face of stalled political solutions, the university offered an alternative approach: create a historic gathering of Sudanese creatives to call attention to the crisis through other means.
Announcing Historic Conference “Seeing Sudan” Featuring Zeinab Badawi and Acclaimed Creatives
In Sudan, a little-covered war has torn apart lives, crippled institutions, and forced more than thirteen million people from their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis that ravages the present and threatens both past and future. At this pivotal moment, GU-Q invites the public to “Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art,” a landmark three-day conference.
Meet Suzi Mirgani, Boundary-Breaking Filmmaker Representing Sudanese Women on Screen
GU-Q scholar and filmmaker Dr. Suzi Mirgani reached a cultural milestone last weekend when her debut feature film Cotton Queen was screened during International Critics’ Week of the Venice Film Festival. The film follows teenage Nafisa, who comes of age in a Sudanese cotton-farming village as modern ambitions clash with deep-rooted traditions.
Conference Sound Bites
Reporting Sudan Panel
Everyday Sudan Panel
Event Videos
Opening Night Keynote and Performance
Eyes on Sudan Keynote Panel featuring Khalid Albaih, Zeinab Badawi, Rashid Diab, and Nesrine Malik, moderated by Dean Safwan Masri
Performance: Alsarah & Huda Asfour | “Ne‘ma” – A Call for Liberation
Day Two Discussions: Witnessing, Collecting, Thinking, Living, and Exhibiting
Witnessing Sudan: Swar Al Dahab and Hamid Ali, moderated by Muzamil Abuelgassim
Thinking Sudan: Rebecca Glade, Gussai H. Sheikeldin, and Khalid Medani, moderated by Muez Ali
Living Sudan: Salma Amin, Ruba El Melik, Ola Diab, and Anna Reumert, moderated by Qutouf Elobaid
Exhibiting Sudan: Amna Elidrissy, Kasia Grabska, Helen Mallinson, Yafil Mubarak, and Rahiem Shadad, moderated by Neelima Jeychandran
“Sudan Retold” Exhibition and Book Launch
Day Three Discussions: Reporting, Everyday, Sounds, Designing, Screening, and Reimagining
Reporting Sudan: Muzamil Abuelgassim, Yousra Elbagir, and Amar Jamal, moderated by Ayah Ahmed and Noon Elsharif
Everyday Sudan: Azza Aziz, Simba Elmur, Omer Al Tijani, and Omnia Shawkat, moderated by Amna Elidrissy
Sounds of Sudan: Alsarah, Haneen Sidahmed, and Ahmad Sikainga, moderated by Khalid Albaih
Designing Sudan: Rund Al Arabi, Qutouf Elobeid, Hadeel Eltayeb, and Aala Sharfi, moderated by Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann
Screening Sudan: Eiman Hussein, Suzi Mirgani, Ibrahim Mursal, and Rafa Renas, moderated by Bentley Brown
Reimagining Sudan: Khalid Elagab Ahmed, Muzan Alneel, Nafisa Eltahir, and Nesrine Malik, moderated by Muez Ali
Podcasts
Hiwaraat: In conversation with Sudanese artist and political cartoonist Khalid Albaih.
Hiwaraat: In conversation with Economist Muez Ali, who explains the lead up to, and devastating impact of, the war in Sudan.
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