Literature and Arts in the Sit-in Square
Literature and Arts in the Sit-in Square
Sikka: Mamoun Eljak
Translated by: Salah Mohamed Khair
Someone is holding Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel, entitled: One Hundred Years of Solitude and reading from it in the sit-in area. He is reading an extract depicting a festival held by the natives of Macondo village. He is removing his eyes from the book for moments, immersing in reflection of a tremendous festival, which is rich in colors and amazing details similar to the festival in the novel. Unfortunately, the ends of both festivals have matched. "Stray gun bullets turned off fireworks, panic screams overshadowed the music, and terror wiped out the delight", says the narrator in the novel.1
The well-attended festival in the sit-in square was not intended for transient jubilation, but it transcended to nobler ends. The festival was not a "wedding in the desert for nothing", to borrow the celebrated extract in Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North. The festival came to realize so many great things, and it was a place where the Sudanese people expressed their cultures, creations and aspirations. The following are some media reports describing the feverish cultural activities that took place in the sit-in square in front of the military headquarters between from 6 April to 2 June, 2019:
"There must be a way of life in the sit-in area, namely the culture and life of the rebels whose seeds are formed in consciousness and bodies. This is how the brilliance of the rebels manifested itself in recalling the beauty, usefulness, vigor, and vitality of consciousness. All arts came out and settled in platforms and forums amid the gatherings of the rebels. They included music, singing, dancing, cheers and anthems of the revolution, graffiti, poetry, and drama. Thanks to the consciousness and unity of the rebels, the sit-in area became a heaven for the sons and daughters of our people to spread their creation in its vast squares."2
"The different sit-in squares, in front and around the military headquarters, witnessed different and broad participations by the Sudanese creators in various fields. The participations were often spontaneously launched or they were previously organized as in the participation of the Sudanese Dramatists Forum, or even improvised as the event of the book fair. Poetry readings were spread on the streets and from within the Revolution radio, at the Sudanese Graduates House. Music, singing and plastic arts events were the most widespread, and they included graffiti and Arabic calligraphy. Music and singing dominated the sit-in square. Revolutionary poetry readings spread between chants and improvised poetry platforms, with a heavy spread of drums and rhythm works. All this found enthusiastic response from all sectors of the Sudanese people, including the members of the armed forces."3
"The sit-in square in front of the military headquarters became a huge cultural bazaar, where you could not in one day cruise around all the exhibitions and sections, which documented the Sudanese revolution, because of their hugeness and diversity. All factional and professional sectors in the country reserved places for themselves to document the revolution and to present their creative works to the public in voluntary exhibitions including poets, writers, plastic artists, and journalists. Some observers considered the activities in the sit-in square to be the largest in Sudan's recent history. Furthermore, it is the first sit-in which realizes the aspirations of the Sudan's popular revolution. Cultural and entertainment activities accompanying the sit-in such as concerts, revolutionary poetry readings, paintings, folkloric dancing group, and local folklore groups attracted many citizens, housewives and children."4
Jabir Hussein said that the sit-in square became "a symbol and a sign in the daily act of revolution"5, pointing out to the ability of the rebels to create captivating acts, embodied in drawing, writing, poetry, drama, singing and dancing. Hussein believed that there are great aesthetical capabilities with many brighter faces gathered at events to reinforce the goals of the revolution, to make it clearer, and to instill it in the consciousness, which is the act of the revolution itself and its brighter face.6
Graffiti
In a report in Al-Jareeda Newspaper on 6 May 2019, Nizar Abass says:
"The sit-in square in front of the military headquarters is witnessing many cultures and arts that represent the essence of the Sudanese society's culture, such as singing, music, and revolutionary slogans and cheers. Among these arts and cultures, the art of graffiti and inscriptions on the walls played a major role in the revolutionary mobilization. This is shown on the walls around the sit-in square, where the rebels seek to communicate their messages via drawings and inscriptions.7
The graffiti art has played a significant role in the revolutionary mobilization since the beginning of the revolution. This has been done by writing on the "walls of the neighborhoods to remind the rebels of the date of the demonstrations and to motivate them by phrase like "Just Fall" or "It fell, It fell, Kizan (Muslim Brotherhood).8
The graffiti in the sit-in square included the glorification of the residential neighborhoods and the active areas in the revolutionary mobilizations. The neighborhoods were glorified by descriptions such as the crocodiles of Al-Kalakla, the lions of Al-Barari the shafata (valiant protesters) of Haj Yousif, Wad Nubawi and Abbasiya, and the sons of Rabak and Atbara, and other types of graffiti. The graffiti also glorified the martyrs of the Sudanese Revolution and showed their solidarity with their families. 9
There is also a report in Al-Jareeda Newspaper on 6 May 2019. The report deals with what is known as "The Painting of Shame" which was achieved by a group of artists on a wall opposite to Jama'a Street. The artist brought paint cans and asked the protesters to participate in the making of the graffiti by inscribing the name of any former official whom they believe to be held accountable. Many protesters participated in drawing and inscription, forming a painting included many officials who are known by the figures of the Salvation Revolution.10
As for the purpose of this work, one of the plastic artists said," they wanted the protesters to feel the change in situations and that they are able to hold the officials accountable, and they must write the names of the officials without fear of oppression or abuse."11
Caricatures
The Sudanese Caricaturists Forum held a mini-exhibition at the College of Radiology, Sudan University of Science and Technology, within the sit-in area. The caricaturists documented their creative works on a wall full of their caricatures. "The Forum has been supporting the revolution since its inception", said Ahmed Al-Rasheed, a member of the Sudanese Caricaturists Forum, clarifying that some of the members of the Forum live outside the country, and the other inside the country. Al-Rasheed pointed out that the caricaturists live inside the country release anonymous works for fear of security pursuit, but the ones live outside the county have not such concerns.12
Al-Rasheed added that the caricaturist, Talal Al-Nayir is the founder of the Forum. The objectives of the Forum are supporting the revolutionary mobilization, raising awareness among the public, and urging the public to adhere to peaceful revolution and to refrain from violence and vandalism"13, said Al-Rasheed. He stated that the further objectives of the Forum are to document the daily mobilization of the revolution and to preserve the revolution's gains.14 Al-Rasheed revealed the intention of the Form to hold a larger exhibition to include the Arab and foreign works on the Sudanese revolution, adding that they will coordinate with the Sudanese Journalists Network, because the art of the caricature is one of the journalistic genres.15
Rapping
Al-Jareeda Newspaper presented a report and a survey of a number of researchers on the outbreak of the rap music among the young people, and whether it has a future in the Sudan. The musician, Dr. Al-Mahi Suleiman attributes the phenomenon to Sudanese roots, for the reason that it is similar, in some of its parts, to the songs of hakamat (traditional women singers) on the values of chivalry, bravery and generosity, and to the preludes by which the singers initiated their songs in the past, whereas the young rappers today sing for the values of freedom, equality and dignity.16 Dr. Suleiman asserted that the music and the rhythm of the rapping have been derived from the jazz music, and they are characterized by simplicity and non-observance of musical notation, where the songs are performed without musical instruments. He believed that the Jamaican singer, Bob Marley had contributed to the spread of the rapping in its old form.17 According to the musician; this form of singing is fit in the slogan with urgent messages.18
Dr. Suleiman predicted the flourishing of rapping in the Sudan in the future, and he linked this flourishing to "the recognition of the patterns and forms of the oral singing in the Sudan, and its rhythms such as ruba'I, and the attempt to align it with the senses of this generation. He believed that the spread of rapping will contribute to the management of the great diversity in the Sudan, since it encompasses most of the musical circle in the Sudan such as tambour in the Northern Sudan, shatam and dalouka in the Central Sudan, farangeba in Darfur, and mardoum in Kurdofan.19
The musician, Dr. Al-Fateh Hussein believes that this phenomenon is "worthy in the musical point of view"20 and described it as depending on reciting more than melody, or what is known as recitative music, which depends on reciting and the rhythm of the poetic words that do not have a common poetic rhythm.21
Dr. Hussein attributed the spread of rapping to the fact that "the tone of it speaks to the young people and excites them."22 He hoped that the young people would deal with this kind of singing not by imitating it in terms of music, movement and singing, but by modelling it to contribute to the enrichment of the singing in the Sudan.23
On the other hand, the musical critic, Musa'ab Al-Sawi believed that "the flexibility of performing this kind of singing, 1n English or Arabic, is considered as its most important advantage and the reason of its spread.24 He described rapping as "depending on the improvisation of expression and melody in a certain moment that requires a certain emotion."25
Folk Art Groups
In a mini report in Al-Jareeda Newspaper, Mahasin Ahmed Abdalla says:
"Folk art groups from the various cities of the Sudan formed a large and distinctive presence in the sit-in square with their various dances, songs and rhythms, reviewing the heritage of their areas. All spectators interacted with these groups as they shared them dancing and singing. Meanwhile, members of these groups confirmed that they sing and dance for the homeland and seek freedom and peace in the Nuba Mountains and Darfur."26
Cheers, Chants and slogans of the Revolution
Mohammed Hamad and Hussam Hilali documented the chants and slogans of September - April Revolution. They began with the first slogan of the revolution: "Freedom, Peace and Justice; Revolution is the Option of the People." Hamad and Hilali say: "As the slogan of the first months of popular mobilization, it had to be constant. It was neither a new slogan nor the spur of the revolutionary moment, but an extension of its predecessor, where it was the main slogan of the September 2013 Revolution, which was brutally nipped in the bud and hundreds were killed in a few weeks' time. This particular slogan summarizes the Sudanese revolutionaries' supposed political program, namely democratic and pluralistic system, end of the civil war, and independence of the judicial system. This slogan later transformed with the military junta's reluctance to hand over power to the civilians to:" Freedom, Peace and Justice; Civil Rule is the Option of people."27
The researcher, Shamsaldeen Dawalbait says that this slogan "has identified the epistemological and civil nature of the revolution, in contrast to the ideological state or the state of identity, which culminated in extreme ferocity in the religious state established by the Islamic Movement regime."28
Hamad and Hilali continue to monitor the basic characteristics of revolutionaries' chants, where "revolutionary decisiveness was the most demanding slogan that suggested intransigence, perseverance and continuity. This slogan was the most popular slogans of the December 2018 Revolution. It referred to the fall of Al-Bashir and his regime without any compromise or bargaining, and considered the biggest and most important demand. The slogan was a clear indication of resolution and clarity of the demand, which went beyond all reluctant questions about the political question at hand."29
Moreover, the most prominent features of the chants in the sit-in square were "the presence of mind and the biting satire."30
The two writers continue to state that the sit-in kept by the protestors in front of the military headquarters "was accompanied by improvements in logistical methods and mass mobilization. This included the preparation of barricades and checkpoints supervised by the civilians at the entrances to the sit-in square, which occupied large areas around the perimeter of the army headquarters. To keep the sit-in peaceful, young activists spread out and took turns to protect these entrances behind the barricades. The activists were searching anyone who wished to enter the perimeter of the sit-in, whatever his/her identity, age or gender, taking into account the presence of women activists to search women and girls. To relieve the embarrassment of the body search, this chant spread among the activists:
"Put your arms up;
You will be politely searched.
Put up your arms up, again;
The search will take no time."
For those who refused to be searched under the pretext of joining one of the organizing committees, the activists chanted:
"Whether you are a member of a committee or not,
You will be searched.
If you are old or young,
You will be searched."31
As for the chant says:
"If the Military Junta falls or does not fall,
Sabinaha (we are still steadfast here).
Even if the Junta falls,
We are still steadfast here."
The two writers stated that al-sabba is "a term used by construction builders to mean the process of casting the liquid cement on the foundations of the buildings under construction. This process of casting the cement is metaphorically used to signify the rebels' steadfastness until the revolutions' demands are met."32
The sensitivity to gender-based division has transformed one of the celebrated chants of the revolution: the chanting of the barricade guards says:
Let us join hands,
To reinforce the barricade.
This barricade will not be removed;
There are men standing behind it."
To become:
"This barricade will not be removed;
There are revolutionaries standing behind it."
This clearly indicates that barricade guards also include young women, and that this task is not limited to young men.
The two writers point out that the identification of the revolutionary discourse with the military culture, throughout the sit-in in front of the army's headquarters, resulted in the emergence of style of singing, which is locally known as jalalat. They are a set of rhythmic songs performed by soldiers during morning warm-up exercises, or inside the personnel carriers taking them to the areas of military operations. During the sit-in period, these jalalat were broadcast over loudspeakers, along with old revolutionary songs. They praise the masculine values associated with chivalry and magnanimity:
"Our commanders told us:
It is shameful to flee the battlefield.
The mighty man of valor,
Can walk over embers."33
Al-Sabba Channel
In a mini report in Al-Jareeda Newspaper, Nuaman Ghazali provides a description to Al-Sabba channel, created by young boys. Ghazali said:
"No visitor the sit-in in front of the military headquarters slipped from their cameras made from the sit-in's residues (cardboards and plastic bottles) and microphones. These boys referred to as the children with no parents or the homeless children, as the streets are their permanent residence. They took on the role of media professionals and carried out interviews with protestors and visitors. Their questions were brilliant and profound. The protestors exchanged them to cheer on that game, and responded to their questions seriously.
A number of Sudanese media professionals donated modern devices and real cameras to these boys. Some television directors adopted the idea to train the boys on media arts, such as photography, directing, presentation, and montage. Unfortunately, the young boys dispersed and their fate became obscure after the dispersal of the sit-in.34
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Saleh Almani, Al-Mada Publishing House.
2. Literature and Arts Support the Revolution and Revolutionaries in the Field, Jabir Hussein, Assoudani Newspaper, May 3, 2019.
3. Variant Cultural Events in the Sit-in Square, Mamoun Al-Tilib, Assoudani Newspaper.
4. Caricatures: A Present art in the Sit-in Square, Nizar Abbas, Ajareeda Newspaper, May 6, 2019.
5. Literature and Arts Support the Revolution and Revolutionaries in the Field, Jabir Hussein, op. cit.
6. Jabir Hussein, op. cit.
7. Words and Slogans on the Walls of the Sit-in Square, Nizar Abbas, Ajareeda Newspaper, May 6, 2019.
8. Words and Slogans on the Walls of the Sit-in Square, Nizar Abbas, op. cit.
9. Words and Slogans on the Walls of the Sit-in Square, Nizar Abbas, op. cit.
10. Plastic Artists Create a Mural with the Participation of the Protesters, Nadia Mohammed Ali, Ajareeda Newspaper, May 6, 2019.
11. Plastic Artists Create a Mural with the Participation of the Protesters, Nadia Mohammed Ali, op. cit.
12. The Caricatures: A Present Art in the Sit-in Square, Agencies report, Ajareeda Newspaper, April 22, 2019.
13. The Caricatures: A Present Art in the Sit-in Square, op. cit.
14 The Caricatures: A Present Art in the Sit-in Square, op. cit.
15. The Caricatures: A Present Art in the Sit-in Square, op. cit.
16. The Rapping: A Musical Phenomenon or the Future Form of the Sudanese Singing? Ibrahim Abulraziq, Ajareeda Newspaper, May 15, 2019.
17. The Rapping: A Musical Phenomenon or the Future Form of the Sudanese Singing? Ibrahim Abulraziq, op. cit.
18. The Rapping, op. cit.
19. The Rapping, op. cit.
20. The Rapping, op. cit.
21. The Rapping, op. cit.
22. The Rapping, op. cit.
23. The Rapping, op. cit.
24. The Rapping, op. cit.
25. The Rapping, op. cit.
26. Folk Art Groups Scatter Creativity in the Sit-in Square, Mahasin Ahmed Abdalla, Assoudani Newspaper, May 6, 2019.
27. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, Mohammed Hamad and Hussam Hilali, Bidayat Magazine, 2019.
28. The Sudanese Revolution: The Brilliance of Rebellion and the Vision of Establishment, Shamsaldeen Dawalbait, Al-Hadatha Assudaniya, September, 2019.
29. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, op. cit.
30. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, op. cit.
31. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, op. cit.
32. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, op. cit.
33. The Revolution Chronicle Itself: Chants and Slogans of the Free People of the Sudan, op. cit.
34. Al-Sabba channel, The Truth that will Never Come Out, Nuaman Ghazali, Ajareeda Newspaper, May 21, 2019.