I feel despair at Sudan’s coup. But my children’s mini protest gives me hope.
After a mere two years and a half in operation, Sudan’s transitional military and civilian-led government was ousted by a military coup, dashing hopes for a peaceful path towards democracy. Many activists, journalists and artists fear that this could mean a return to the levels of repression present under longtime dictator Omar Al-Bashir before he was toppled by months of mass protests. Some of them had been able to just recently go back to Sudan for the first time in years. They refuse to be silenced once again and have been calling out the ongoing repression of protests - which includes indiscriminate use of tear gas and other violent means - and emphasizing the importance of maintaining the creative gains after the 2019 revolution.
Among them is Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese artist and political cartoonist who has exhibited globally and has had his political commentary published widely in publications like the Atlantic, NPR, The Guardian and Al Jazeera, among others. Having lived in exile for many years, Albaih has been a leading voice in the Sudanese diaspora calling attention to human rights violations and garnering international support for pro-democracy efforts within Sudan. Albaih was an ICORN artist in residence in Copenhagen until 2019 and used the respite and safety offered by the residency to work on his political cartoons exploring issues of free expression. At the same time, he has spoken about the challenges of working as an artist away from “home;” how once faced with safety, artists in exile can feel immobilized by “writer’s block” or how bitter-sweet it is to see their children integrate in a foreign culture. Faced once again with a tightening cultural and civic landscape , Albaih reflects in his latest op-ed for The Guardian about the multiple generations he has witnessed fighting for freedom in Sudan.
“In the past rocky two years , Sudan has seen an influx of families who left three decades ago – people trying to regain what was lost. But it seems the counter-revolutionaries remain strong – determined to prevent democracy. Even with international support limited to Egypt, Saudi and the UAE, the October coup against the transitional government has been a huge defeat for those working towards a free Sudan.
At 41, I hoped my children could experience Sudan as home. But it’s hard to keep hoping it will be safe in Sudan to continue my activism and work as a political cartoonist anytime soon.
Now, I understand how my father and his friends felt. In a country that has had six coups since independence in 1956, I can understand the instinct to protect children from instability, uncertainty and tragedy. I spend most nights on WhatsApp sending frustrated voice messages about the situation. All my friends and I talk about is news about Sudan. I find myself trying to shield my children from the (mostly bad) news.
How do I explain that our army is killing young men and women? How do I explain that bad men in police uniforms are back again? That evil has returned so fast?
In the end I did not need to. My eldest daughter used her screen time to read posts and watch videos about Sudan. Early one Friday morning I awoke to a mini anti-coup protest with her and her younger siblings waving flags and shouting slogans in our living room.
With guidance and citizen journalism, these younger generations are far more action-oriented than we used to be.”
Read the full op-ed in The Guardian here.
You can read more about Khalid Albaih’s art and activism, and his time as an ICORN artist in residence in Copenhagen here. You can follow him on Instagram at @Khalidalbaih or Twitter at @khalidalbaih.
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