The Sudan uprising: Healing through art in a time of revolution
Bit el Nile (Daughter of the Nile)/Iman Abbaro
In times of revolution—particularly youth-led revolutions in the twenty-first century—art and social media are often the driving forces for raising awareness. Platforms like Instagram, SoundCloud and Twitter have helped elevate the voices of the creatives and organizers that take part in these movements. This was especially the case with Sudan’s latest revolution. What started off as a group of high school students protesting in Atbara in December 2018 eventually led to the removal of former dictator, Omar al-Bashir, and the establishment of a transitional government that consists of representatives of the civilian population. The art that rose alongside the revolution has also played a crucial role in connecting Sudanese artists around the world, while simultaneously pushing for reform.
It goes without saying that Sudan faced very turbulent times when protests began last December. But with the help of social media, the world was exposed to an influx of Sudanese art. From the award-winning film You Will Die at Twenty, to three Sudanese artists being featured on A Colours Show, and even the overwhelming amount of murals at the two-month-long sit-in, Sudanese artists both on the ground and in the diaspora illustrated the complexities of what it means to be Sudanese through different forms of creative expression. And aside from raising awareness, this influx of art greatly contributed to rebuilding the broken relationship between Sudan and its diaspora. Seeing a side of Sudan that had for so long been suppressed, helped to connect Sudanese folk from all over the world. Through the highs and lows of the revolution, artistic expression brought together a community that was divided by a tyrannical regime. That artistic movement also helped start some difficult yet extremely necessary conversations within the community. One of the most important conversations that surfaced was the stigma behind mental health.
“The art that rose alongside the revolution has played a crucial role
in connecting Sudanese artists around the world, while simultaneously pushing for reform”
Like many countries in the region, mental health is heavily stigmatized within the Sudanese community. With a government system that operated based on religious extremism, people often blamed mental illnesses on an individual’s lack of faith. I myself can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone from the older generations scoff and say “it’s because you don’t pray” or “you have a bad relationship with God” when someone expressed concern for their mental wellbeing. But when you have a corrupt leader in power who fails to properly invest in a country and a demotivated community divided along class, religion, and tribal lines, it’s easy for this conversation to get swept under the rug with passive comments that target the individual rather than the flawed system. According to an article published by African Arguments, mental health resources in Sudan are scarce because psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners leave the country for better opportunities. While brain drain is one of the primary causes to Sudan’s depleting mental health services, the inaccurate stereotypes that cloud over individuals grappling with mental illnesses is another unacknowledged factor. Conversations about mental health often involve judging an individual’s relationship with God, and thus proposing religion as the only solution to their struggle.
35mm film photography/ Shaza El Nour
Models: Iman Abbaro & Zenab Hassan
Art Direction inspired by: @shamasalehh @nas_muse & @alicetookmypicture
The failings of this approach to mental health really manifested themselves when Sudan faced political instability once again due to the revolution. The events that took place on June 3rd lit the match for Sudanese youth—both on the ground and in the diaspora—to loudly challenge such perspectives around mental health put forward by older generations. I recently sat down with two Sudanese artists who greatly contributed to the revolution through art. We talked about how seeing this overwhelming amount of art on our news feeds, as well as creating art inspired by the protests helped keep our mental wellbeing in check. Both artists expressed how the rapid change in events bent their artistic practice in order to keep up.
This momentum was kicked into full gear in April and June, with the help of social media. And while this started important campaigns for the revolution such as #KeepEyesOnSudan or #BlueForSudan, the nation became the symbol for yet another online ‘activism trend’. This tokenism affected activists and artists in particular, because it shifted the relationship between their work and social media. What had originally been a way to educate non-Sudanese folk about the political climate in the country, turned into an unrelenting pressure for constant content related to the revolution. Several artists who had used their craft to raise awareness—including myself—gave into the pressure, making the urgency to address mental health stigma greater than ever. Support groups and online campaigns such as Sudan Healing (@sudanhealing on Instagram) and Shai el Maghrib: Mental Health Support in a Time of Revolution have created spaces for exactly that, both at the individual as well as communal level. The constant pressure to produce content lost its heaviness as we began to break the cycle of not addressing our mental health. The intention behind creating art then shifted from raising awareness to facilitating healing.
Image from "Dominance" series by Enas Satir & Alfanjarya Art
This series aims to shed light on the "hybrid Sudanese identity" that has often been overshadowed by the dominant Arab culture.
It is clear that the art from Sudan’s latest revolution left its mark both online and in real life. In a time of violence and political instability, a renaissance that illustrated the diversity of Sudan’s culture came back to life. Different art forms such as music and painting fostered a sense of community that was lost during the years Al-Bashir was in power. Artistic expression was also a form of healing and protest simultaneously. The destruction of the sit-in back in June of 2019 definitely left its scars, but the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) attempt to silence the revolution failed to divide us further. Artists took to the streets once again to repaint the murals of the sit-in, and painted new murals that honored the martyrs of the revolution.
Creative expression was our medicine as we addressed the significance of mental health during a time of socio-political reform. Despite the turbulence Sudan has faced since December 2018, there is a wave of optimism that has come out of the uprising. Through every musical note, brush stroke, photograph and poem, we remain hopeful as we rebuild a nation once neglected and heal our wounds together.