When protests broke out in Sudan on 19 December 2018, spreading like wildfire in cities across the country, calling for the downfall of President Omar Al Bashir and his regime, an outburst of artwork reflecting what is being referred to as the Sudan uprising or revolution flooded social media. From Sudan to Italy, several Sudanese artists with various art backgrounds have shared their revolution-inspired artwork via their social media channels as their contribution to the uprising.
In a recent publication, Politics and Art (Oxford Handbook Online Political Science – Oxford University Press), Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tampere, Frank Moller, said:
‘Art can be understood as a form of political discourse; as a descriptive, an interpretive, or an explicitly critical approximation; or as a vehicle with which to transcend the political. Art complicates our understandings and perceptions of the world, altering the discursive frames within which the political is negotiated.’
One example of this strong relationship between arts and politics is the “anti-Jewish caricature” dated to the middle ages. The anti-Jewish caricature was nothing but a political satire that was used to single out Jews making them further vulnerable to targeted harassment. This strong relationship between arts and politics is being reflected in the substantial amount of impressive artwork produced by Sudanese artists from around the world who, following the Sudan uprising, took to their platforms to show their solidarity with protesters in Sudan and visually translate what protesters are calling for. New artists and artwork emerge everyday.
500 Words Magazine highlights some of these artists and their revolution-inspired artwork.
Assam Jubara is a 40-year-old self-taught graphic designer based in Qatar. He is the founder of Iqoona Boutique, a culturally inspired brand that draws inspiration from Sudan’s rich heritage but rapidly progressing into a modern street culture inspired label that stretches beyond the parameters of ordinary graphic design.
A video of female protesters loudly chanting anti-government slogans inside a detention hall inspired Jubara to create ‘NOT AFRAID’, an illustration of a henna-embodied female hand raising her middle finger with the words ‘not afraid’ written above. The illustration was met with a lot of criticism since raising the middle finger is considered inappropriate for a woman to do. ‘I intentionally created that image to provoke the society. Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed,’ said Jubara. ‘I think we really need to free ourselves from stereotyping and hypocrisy. We need to stop telling Sudanese women what they should and shouldn’t do. What they can and can’t do. The first word of our revolution chant حرية) ، سلام و عدالة) is liberty, freedom of minds before bodies, freedom from the old norms, the stereotypical idea of what is acceptable and what isn’t, liberate ourselves from a society dominated by men,’ he added.
When asked about art and how an artist’s work influences a revolution, Jubara said ‘Art is not to decorate walls, it’s an essential instrument of revolution which gives the opportunity for artists to be part of something bigger than themselves.’
Facebook: Iqoona Boutique @iqoona | Instagram & Twitter: @Iqoonaboutique | iqoona.threadless.com
Abdulrahman Mohammed Khalil is a 24-year-old architecture student and self-taught artist.
‘Art has always been a way for me to express myself. As the protests grew more intense, I felt infuriated and decided to use art to let out all my anger,’ he said. ‘I use my artwork to document incidents, apologies for those who lost loved ones and show gratitude to those who stood by us. This is why I always sign my work as Sudan.’
Khalil is currently working on three Sudan-related projects, which will release soon.
Facebook: @jnoon2002 | Instagram: @da7amee2 @arsomny2 | Twitter: @7rofy92
Also known as Rahiem, Abdelrahilm Faisal Shadad is a 23-year-old digital artist and graphic designer based in Malaysia. In addition, Shaded runs Sol for Change, a platform that gives light for art produced by the youth of Sudan and promotes engagement of arts with social development.
When asked about what inspired his artwork named ‘al-thawara’ or revolution, of a woman sewing the old tricoloured Sudanese flag, he said, ‘I was inspired to contribute to Sudan’s uprising after reading some of what Mustafa Khogali shared on his Facebook account on how the people of Sudan have not been serviced by this service company so-called “government” since independence; how it tried to put a mold of Arabism and Islamism on everyone by force; how it murdered those who called for pure Sudanism like John Garang. I refuse to acknowledge it and I believe in the need for a reset. And thus the woman of al-thawra is drawn knitting/sewing the former flag of Sudan with its lovely African colours.’
‘On arts and revolution, art is so crucial in giving an image, colour or sound to an idea or message,’ added Shaded.
Facebook: abdalrheem.shadad | Instagram: @abd_alrheem | Twitter: @abu_shadad | behance.net/bebeshadad4a6b
A 28-year-old graphic designer, illustrator and cartoonist based in Sudan, Alaa Satir enjoys making mostly simple black and white illustrations to tell a story or share an opinion.
When asked about what inspired her to create her Sudanese uprising artwork she said, ‘Few weeks prior to the uprising, I started drawing a series of illustrations called ‘We Are the Revolution’. My idea came from realising how much we live in a society that consistently tells us who we should be especially for women and that choosing to be unapologetically yourself seems pretty much like a revolutionary act, and I wanted to make these artworks to remind us to get in touch with our rebellious revolutionary side, so when the Sudan uprising started it felt right to make artworks dedicated to that and include them as part of the collection. After all, this revolution isn’t just political.’
Satir says she is constantly inspired by the events happening in the Sudan uprising. She believes that art is an honest and beautiful way to document this revolution and hopes that she can continue to create content people can relate to and draw their attention to important matters in our society without using many words.
Instagram: @alaasatir @planet.b_studio | Twitter: @alaasatir
A self-taught artist, Ibrahim is known as Abbas Comics after his popular online comics, Abbas Comics.
Ibrahim’s artwork is known to be quite light-hearted and he made sure to bring about the same vibe in his Sudan uprising artwork.
‘What inspired my Sudan uprising artwork is all the artwork I saw was very negative and angry. I thought I could make something out of love for Sudan instead of anger at the state the country is in,’ said Ibrahim.
When asked about the meaning behind naming his artwork Azza, he explained that he has always loved the famous Sudanese song “Azza fy Hawak” by the late Sudanese singer, Mustafa Seed Ahmad, which describes Sudan as a beautiful and strong woman named Azza. ‘Azza is how I see Sudan. She is resilient, calm even in the chaos, and beautiful despite having been through a lot,’ said Ibrahim.
‘I think art like any other type of media can and should reflect the facts of what is taking place these days in Sudan. But unlike other media, art and creative work has the ability to inspire, and to amplify ideas and messages and feelings. And that is a very big responsibility, and a very special thing. Art works as motivation and documentation of what happened at this point in time, and each artist gets the chance to bring his/her own point of view to their work, Ibrahim added.
Facebook: AbbasComics
Better known as just Badry, Mohammed Abdulrazig Badry is a 22-year-old self-taught artist who despite drawing for as long as he can remember only started exploring painting in 2014. ‘I never considered drawing and painting as anything more than entertainment and meditation for me; a chance to quiet the mind and sort my thoughts out,’ he said.
Badry was inspired by the bravery of the protesters when facing the police officers who would often throw tear gas canisters at them. He felt the need to capture that bravery in an artwork and that is what inspired his piece.
Instagram: @mohammad_badry | Twitter: @NotBadry
Known as hxmaside, Ibrahim Jihad is a 30-year-old architect, self-taught graphic designer and photographer who identifies as a creative visualist.
‘I was inspired by the Green Lantern superheroes in the DC comics who fought evil with the aid of colored rings that give them a variety of superpowers. The Orange Lantern Power Ring is powered by avarice, or greed. Since our government is notoriously known to be greedy it was only appropriate to draw Al Bashir as an Orange Lantern user,’ said Jihad, explaining his depiction of Al Bashir as the Orange Lantern. Jihad considers his art a way to document the revolution, inspire people and translate their thoughts and feelings.
Instagram & Twitter: @hxmaside
Aljaili (Jaili) Hajo is a 29-year-old self-taught artist who believes art is a universal language which he personally uses to communicate with the world.
‘I’m a self-taught artist. I use my phone most of the time to take pictures, and sometimes I Photoshop them too,’ he said.
In his “Reality vs. TV” artwork, Hajo wanted to portray the way the media has been falling behind on covering the uprising and how the reality of what is actually happening in the streets of Sudan is almost never shown on TV. Hajo used real pictures from Khartoum, Atbara and El-Gadarif to convey his message.
When asked about how he thinks art contributes to the revolution, he said, ‘Art contributes in fighting the mainstream media, and breaking the fear, to encourage more people to speak up, raise their voices and join the movement.’
Hajo has more Sudan-related artwork coming up as his art is the best way he can contribute to the uprising while being away from Sudan right now.
Instagram & Twitter: @jailihajo
Malab Alneel is a 21-year-old communication design student and aspiring artist.
When asked about what inspired her Sudan uprising artwork, she said, ‘I’m currently living in Milan to study communication design, and these pieces were a way for me to take part in the revolution regardless of my geographical distance. I felt isolated and useless in something I so badly wanted to take part in and making these illustrations and seeing the reactions they got felt like I did have a role even if a small one.’
‘I made them for the ones that have been mistreated, wronged, deprived, and murdered! For a future where getting to any other spot in the world is no longer a necessity for a decent life,’ she added.
Since the Sudan uprising began, Alneel took note of the movement of the revolution-inspired artwork. ‘I’ve seen so much artistic output that is being created by this revolution, and that shows that everyone is trying to do their part. It shows how determined the people are and how dedicated they are to the uprising. People put other things aside and made time to create something specifically for this. It shows that this revolution is not one that will dissolve. This constant creative output is another support beam to the resistance of this revolution, and what better way to create a new Sudan than with art as one of the main building blocks!’ she explained.
Alneel is currently taking a break due to her studies but says she will be coming back with more artwork. ‘I will create as many as I possibly can to keep the word out and do my part in creating the new Sudan,’ she said.
Instagram & Twitter: @Malabalneel | behance.net/malabamaa019a
Better known as Moe Malik, Mohammed Malik Omer is a 24-year-old freelance graphic designer who draws inspiration from video games, movies and novels, each adding to his creativity pool.
When asked about what inspired him to create his artwork, he said, ‘The video of the little girl dancing in front of the fires in Burri, Khartoum in January 2019 looked quite powerful to me and many others so I felt it needs to be immortalised in an artwork. “Fearless” is how I would describe it.’
On how he thinks art contributes to the revolution, he said, ‘Art can be quite a powerful tool to express ideas and emotions. And when you have thousands of people sharing the same emotions, it can be the medium that relates to all. Art took many forms in the current Sudanese uprising, we’ve seen music artists, designers, painters, graffiti artists, photographers, poets and more, all coming under one idea, one motivation, one goal, and that is to inspire the people. We’re all fighting in our own ways.’
Malik is currently working on creating a Sudanese child-superhero inspired by and in tribute to the two young Sudanese men who lost their hands trying to protect others from tear gas. He says what they did was heroic despite not having any superpowers and that is the idea of heroism he wants to convey – no superpower is needed to be a hero!
Instagram & Twitter: @SuperNerdyGeek | DeviantArt.com/SuperNerdyGeek
Mustafa Abdullateef Alnasry is an illustrator, and a character and graphic designer based in Sudan who aims to use his work to reflect Sudan.
‘The revolution inspires me every day. So I draw a sketch related to the events of the day or the week to convey a clear message and share with the world how my perspective. My art is my take on all that is happening around me,’ Alnasry said. ‘I don’t think art itself influences the revolution, but it is the revolution that influences the artist who then uses his art to convey a message, a feeling or a thought about the revolution,’ he added.
Alnasry promises to continue to create revolution-inspired artwork as frequent as possible.
Instagram: @mustafalnasry
Known as Wellyce, Wael Al Sanosi is a 29-year-old graphic designer based in Riyadh, KSA. Wellyce aspires to replace the ugly reality we live with his imagination and exceptional talent in art manipulation.
In his latest popular Sudan uprising artwork, Al Sanosi said he found inspiration in Sudan’s youth. ‘I was inspired by the awareness of this generation, inspired by their strong determination to change for the better، and inspired by their courage in dealing with injustice and their love for Sudan,’ he explained.
When asked about the message he wishes to convey with his artwork, he said, ‘My message is that after darkness and injustice, light, justice and peace will rise up.’
Al Sanosi is currently working on more artwork to support the revolution as he believes art itself is a revolution. ‘Art itself is considered a revolution, art is an expression of our anger and our opposition to injustice Art is the engine and the motivation of the revolutions,’ he explained.
Facebook & Instagram: @wellyce | Twitter: @wellycee
Afnan Hassab describes herself as your typical dreamy millennial. A 22-year-old surgeon-in-the-making by morning and a struggling writer and blogger, by night. Dedicated humanitarian, unwavering feminist, relentless debater, obsessive cleaner and a coffee addict among other things. Born and raised in Jeddah, KSA. Went to college in Sudan. Based somewhere between these two countries and more.
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