Meet Sudanese and South Sudanese Vegans and Vegetarians. Yes, They Exist.

All over the world, there has been a rise in veganism and vegetarianism, mostly out of compassion for animals and a personal responsibility towards sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. It is believed there are at least one billion vegetarians worldwide. Among all the countries, India ranks top with nearly 38% of the population being vegetarian because of the country’s religious beliefs.

And now, the trend has found its way to Sudan and South Sudan. The Sudanese cuisine is meat heavy and a majority of the Sudanese and South Sudanese people are carnivores or meat eaters. However, some Sudanese men and women have found ways to say no to meat. They have chosen to become vegans or vegetarians and have introduced ways to turn popular Sudanese dishes meat-free. 

Vegetarianism and veganism

Vegetarianism is the practice of eating food obtained from plants and abstaining from meat. Veganism was born out of vegetarianism, and vegans not just abstain from eating meat but also all animal products like diary, honey and eggs.

People are drawn to vegetarianism for a multitude of reasons, some of which include religion, ethical motivation, health, environmental conservation, economic factors, dislike of meat and culture.

Vegetarians and vegans generally eat a diet of grains, pulses, nuts and seeds and fruits and vegetables. Vegetarians, who are not vegans, also eat dairy products and eggs but completely abstain from meat, poultry, seafood and animal by-products like gelatine.

There are also other forms of plant-only or herbivore diets such as:

• Fruitarianism and Jain vegetarianism permit only fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant. Jain vegetarianism also includes dairy, but excludes eggs, honey, and root vegetables.
• Macrobiotic diets consist mostly of whole grains and beans.
• Lacto vegetarianism includes dairy products but not eggs.
• Ovo vegetarianism includes eggs but not dairy products.
• Ovo-lacto vegetarianism (or lacto-ovo vegetarianism) includes animal products such as eggs, milk, and honey.
• Pescetarianism includes fish and possibly other forms of seafood.
• Pollo-pescetarianism includes poultry and fish, or white meat only.
• Pollotarianism includes chicken and possibly other poultry.

500 Words Magazine spoke to some Sudanese and South Sudanese vegans and vegetarians from around the world who’ve shared their story about their meat-free lifestyles. Scroll through!

Azhar Abuelhassan Mustafa Sied-Ahmed

Azhar Abuelhassan Mustafa Sied-Ahmed, 27, student, residing in Qatar. I’ve been vegan for a year and a half. I have always had a fear of pets. One day, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and adopt a cat. Once I got close to him, I realised that I really love animals. That’s when I started questioning myself about my life practises and choices and decided to make a change. Veganism, for me, is not just a food diet, it’s also about searching for knowledge and practicing kindness in all aspects of life. I was really excited as I felt this was more of a journey of self-discovery, to understand my love for animals and explore a new lifestyle. I had to have many conversations and discussions about veganism with my family as I was afraid they will not understand the concept or be able to accept it as they have never even met a vegan before. And though we still have those discussions, they have supported me hugely in my decision. Even my friends have shown nothing but love and respect and have encouraged me on this journey especially my vegan friend Danny, who made me question myself; and Khalid, who was the first person I discussed this with. My diet consists of basically beans, grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits. The hardest part of being a vegan is having people accept your choice, without wanting to make you change or argue about different choices from a right-and-wrong perspective. I do not urge people to become vegan as it is a personal decision but I do educate them about a vegan diet and encourage them to make better choices. You do not have to be a complete vegan to make vegan choices. I invite people I know to watch documentaries on veganism and have positive discussions about it. I also make delicious vegan dishes and share it with the people around me. When you visit people and you cannot eat because they don't have vegan options, they insist that you eat as it is considered to be very impolite to refuse food. I enjoy eating eggplant salad (salatat aswad) and peanut salad (salatat dakwa). A very powerful component of Sudanese cuisine is peanut paste (dakwa), which can be used in many dishes like dips, sauces and sweets. My vegan friends from different countries are already obsessed with it.

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