Culture, Language and Education Centres in Sudan

Sudan is home to many cultural, language and education centres whether Sudanese, British, American, German, Turkish and more, providing visitors educational, professional and cultural services.

Here are some of Sudan’s best and most popular cultural, language and education centres:

Abd El Karim Merghani Cultural Center (AKMCC)

Established in 1998, the centre’s objectives are the dissemination of culture, knowledge and scientific information, by means of the holding of fairs, symposiums and lectures on the arts, folklore and culture in general. The centre is equipped with a big, bilingual (Arabic – English) library with a child’s section, and also an audio-visual library.

Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 8:30 am – 1 pm, 6 pm – 8 pm

Website: akmcc.com

Location: Waadi Saydna Street, Omdurman

American Center Khartoum

The American Center is a free library in Sudan. The centre aims to provide cultural services to the Sudanese people. It includes a traditional and digital library that offers practical periodicals and major US newspapers. In addition to showing films, the centre provides lessons and organises English language seminars. To visit the library, which contains thousands of books and multimedia resources on language, literature, education, culture, history, and politics, and where access to the Internet, computers, printing, and research services is available at no cost.

Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 9 am – noon; 1 pm – 4 pm

Contact: +249 187 022 109, KhartoumAmericanCenterDL@state.gov (Book your visit at least 24 hours in advance)

Website: sd.usembassy.gov

Location: Kilo 10, US Embassy in Sudan (Soba), US Embassy in Sudan (Port Sudan)

British Council

The British Council has been working in Sudan since 1948. The British Council connects with thousands of students, educators, policymakers, academics, creatives and entrepreneurs in Sudan. The focus of their work is on providing opportunities for young people by supporting young people to achieve the education, qualifications and skills needed to reach their potential in their future careers. It offers English courses as well as IGCSE, IELTS and other school, university and professional preparation exams.

Contact: +249 911 574 243

Website: sudan.britishcouncil.org

Opening hours: The office is currently closed to the public. Telephone working hours 9:30 am – 2:30 pm

Location: No 40, Abu Sin St, Khartoum

 Comboni Italian Center (CIC)

The CIC is an Italian language and cultural center that provides courses of all levels according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), which consists of six levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. Courses last up to two months and are usually twice a week from 5 pm – 7 pm. This centre is also an accredited examination centre for the CELI International Exam, issued by the University of Perugia for Foreigners, Italy. In addition to language courses, CIC offers cultural opportunities and experiences including film screenings, seminars and educational trips.

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday 3 pm – 7 pm

Contact: cickhartoum@gmail.com, +249 930 006 999

Website: combonikhartoum.com/short-courses/italian-language.html

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/ComboniItalianCenter/

DAL Cultural Forum

DAL Cultural Forum is a branch of DAL Food Industries social partnerships department concerned with preserving and promoting the Sudanese performance art.

Website: dalgroup.com

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/dalculturalforum, Instagram @dalculturalforum, YouTube

EducationUSA Sudan

The Education USA Advising Center Khartoum provides accurate and up-to-date information on the full spectrum of US higher education. The centre is supported by an educational adviser, a reference library, educational software and Internet connection in order to meet the various needs of students aspiring to study in the US. Although the advising centre does not offer test prep courses, it has all of the latest test preparation materials for students to use while visiting the centre, including study materials for admission tests such as TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, LSAT as well as USMLE. The centre also hosts initial group advising sessions for those interested in undergraduate study (bachelor’s degree) or graduate study (master’s degree or PhD) in the US with individual follow-up advising available if requested. The educational adviser provides guidance to prospective students in selecting appropriate universities, locating financial aid if available, and applying for admission.

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday noon – 4 pm; closed on Saturday – Sunday

Contact: +249 187 022 851, educationUSAsudan@state.gov

Website: educationusa.state.gov/centers/educationusa-sudan

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/EducationUSASudan/

Location: Kilo 10, Soba, US Embassy Khartoum

Goethe-Institut Sudan

Also known as the Gemran Cultural Centre, the Goethe-Institut in Khartoum is Germany’s official cultural institute teaching the German language, offering information services in our library and fostering cultural exchange and intercultural experiences between Germany and the Sudan.

Contact: +249 183 777 833

Website: goethe.de/ins/su/de

Location: Al-Mak Nimir St, Khartoum

House of Heritage (Bait Al Turath)

Established in 2016 by Dr Ismail El Fihail, the House of Heritage is the Sudanese association for heritage, art and culture. The not-for-profit cultural centre manages and participates in several cultural projects, including capacity building for the implementation UNESCO 2003 Convention, development an ICH Strategy for Sudan for 2020-29, etc. House of Heritage provides training to students, government and private sector employees and NGOs working in the field of heritage, art and culture, in addition to communities, various groups and researchers. These trainings focus on various tangible and intangible topics such as cultural heritage, languages and translation, cultural industries and tourism, computer science and information technology, business and management. The House of Heritage hosts a number of other activities, such as cultural events, film screenings, lectures, exhibitions, open air public library, bookstore and book exchange, and a heritage themed public café.

Contact: +249 129 034 506

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/BaitAlturath/

Location: Khartoum 2, Street 47, Villa No 4, Khartoum

Institut français régional du Soudan (The French Institute)

Also known as the French Cultural Center, the Institut français supports French culture internationally. It has one of the largest media libraries in the country; a terrace for cinema screenings, conferences, meetings-debates, readings, plays, concerts; a modern and spacious exhibition gallery; and a language course service, which offers training courses that are adapted to your needs at elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. In addition to offering French language courses, the institute also offers a wide variety of events throughout the year.

Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 8 am – 8 pm and Saturday 8 am – 2 pm

Contact: +249 183 798 035

Website: if-soudan.net

Location: Ali Dinar St, Khartoum

Omdurman Cultural Center

The non-for-profit government cultural centre is Omdurman’s central culture hub, comprising of two auditoriums, five multi purpose halls, a library and an art lab. It holds art exhibitions, theatrical performance, music concerts, and other cultural events. It is also a home for many artists in the fields of design and interactive media as well as literature. It was named The Best Sudanese Cultural Centre in 2022 by Wakeep. The center is surrounded by a UNESCO Heritage site and old colonial style buildings. 

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064396405416

Location: Al Morada St, Omdurman

Yunus Emr Enstitüsü, Hartum (Turkish Cultural Institute, Khartoum)

Established in 2017, the Yunus Emr Enstitüsü aims to introduce Turkish language and culture in Sudan with more than 5,000 students. Turkey’s cultural gates opening to the world, Yunus Emr Enstitüsü are open in five continents around the world. The institute organises joint programmes, exhibitions, book signings and more. In addition, the institute supports Sudanese writers to translate Sudanese literature to the Turkish language. The institute also offers Turkish coffee to its guests participating at the events it organises called Turkish Coffee Sessions.

Contact: +249 900 933 038

Website: hartum.yee.org.tr

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/yeehartum/, Twitter @yeehartum

Location: Street 60 (Al Siteen St), Block No 12, House No 42, Riyadh, Khartoum

Sources:

Cultural Centers | Sudan Hub https://sudanhub1.wordpress.com/out-in-khartoum/culture/cultural-centers/

Cultural Centers in Khartoum | Ahmed El Affendi https://ahmed-elaffendi.medium.com/cultural-centers-in-khartoum-bbddc346efb4

Cultural Centres in Sudan | Embassy of the Republic of The Sudan in The Netherlands https://www.sudanembassy.nl/cultural-centers-in-sudan/