Sudan’s Bloggeratti Part II

Illustration by Anthony Russo

When I wrote the first part of Sudanese Bloggeratti, I was inflated with pride at the abundance of Sudanese youth representation on the web. In this second edition, I’m eager to show even more distinguished blogs by a group of invigorated Sudanese inside and outside Sudan. I’ve thrown a few Arabic blogs in his mix; food for thought?

Life from Reem’s Perspective

Reem’s blog has got to win the authenticity award – so Sudanese, everything is organic in this blog. It’s brutally honest, hilarious and the stories are raw and touch the very things that make us Sudanese or affect us immensely. I would like to see this blog published into a short stories book -Reem is an extremely talented storyteller.

Kashkouli

Walaa, the young lady behind this blog, is a human rights activist based in Sudan. The blog is based on her observations of all things Sudanese – culture, society and politics. It’s honest and pushes reality a little too close for comfort, but as she describes the vision of the blog “small initiatives driven by committed people” we are reminded that we must continue striving and thriving. The blog is a mesh of news and dwellings, often questioning the restrictive nature of the system and ways to challenge and access basic freedoms in such an environment. Walaa blogs in Arabic and English.

Taggy

Hilarious and down to earth, this blog is an account of the contemporary Sudanese experience from the perspective of an urban dweller. Taggy is a zealous storyteller deeply connected to the daily Sudanese suffering; whether it’s the mundane Khartoum annoyances, professional roadblocks or institutional chaos .

Sawakn

This new Arabic blog is an up and coming political and social commentary on  matters of our Sudan. With various contributors sharing their views, it’s a fresh and organized place to find out what the youth are saying about the current affairs. Although the vision isn’t clearly stated, I see Sawakn becoming a new hub similar to Al Rakoba and Sudanese Online, two immense commentary and news collection portals known to attract a wide range of Sudanese in and outside Sudan, both young and old.

Wanasat A’asor

Philosophical questioning backed with society’s lack of orderliness makes this blog a great read. The posts reveal the thoughts we should be pondering and the questions we should be asking. Osman Musa is an eloquent writer, his words flow just as smoothly as his ideas, and his micro and macro approaches to Sudan’s realities are sobering.

Wholeheartedly Sudaniya

Reem is a journalist, feminist and human rights activist reporting from and about the streets of Khartoum. Although most of her recent work is about injustice and oppression, since its establishment in 2006 the blog featured varied commentary on life in Sudan. I personally like going back to the beginning of the blog to read the discussions in the pre-Twitter era; in the comments section!

Muzan Katabat

Muzan’s blog is new but you can already sense she will tell it like it is. Her first posts eviscerated the censorship around interesting and relevant topics; tribalism, peaceful versus armed revolution and the inappropriate abuse of the Darfur issue. She blogs in both Arabic and English and I personally can’t wait for more sobering posts.

Note: Thanks to everyone who helped me stumble across these gems and others – I’m already working on Part III.