It’s been days of intense fighting in Sudan, and the situation continues to be dire. The ongoing armed conflict began on April 15 between two factions of the army. Go here for more details.
Al Jazeera reports that while most of the fighting is centered on the capital Khartoum, the rest of the nation is experiencing considerable unrest. As of today, 512 people have died and over 4000 injured. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and major infrastructure like hospitals have been bombed.
As you can imagine, we’ve had Sudan on our minds ever since. Our hearts go out to our Sudanese community of writers and readers. Just last week, we published published an interview with Leila Aboulela where she talked about her historical novel chronicling the Mahdist war in the late 19th century. Read here.
What can you do? Read. We’ve curated a list of books to help you take a break from social media’s sound-bite frenzy so you can educate yourself. Amidst the images of destruction splashed on social media, remember not to reduce Sudanese experience to these tragic images. This list will help you engage with multiple facets of Sudanese life, history, and culture. The list includes fiction, poetry, and essays that capture Sudan’s rich tradition of storytelling and poetic expression.
You can also donate:
To stay up to date in news about Sudan, go here.
M Turshen May 17, 2023 13:36
Excellent selection. I also highly recommend "The Smell of Autumn," a collection of short stories by Buthaina Khidir Mekki, published by Red Sea Press, 2019.