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Al Tahadi (Challenge) and Al Difaa (Defense) teams play the first women’s league match in the Khartoum International Stadium.
(cc) AlAdwaa.online | Hind Ramadan | September 30, 2019

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The place of sports in Sudanese culture is multifaceted as it combines the historical aspects of sport with the contemporary social factors. According to Pittaway and Dantas (2021), football helps young South Sudanese people in Australia build personal resistance and promote group togetherness to improve psychological well-being. According to Furukawa (2022), the author analyses how the national sports events in Juba, South Sudan, have affected the patriarchal culture and empowered women. Cultural diversity is another aspect analyzed in community sports; Spaaij (2013) reveals how cultural norms in Australian immigrants are reflected and contested through sports. These studies emphasize sports are about identity and experience foundational to the Sudanese sense of culture, belonging, and transformation.

Furukawa, M. (2022). The effect of National Sports Events on Women and Gender in Sports in Juba, South Sudan. Forum for Development Studies, 50(3), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2022.2140706

Pittaway, T., & Dantas, J. A. R. (2021). The role of sport in coping and resilience amongst resettled South Sudanese youth in Australia. Health Promotion International, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daab100

Spaaij, R. (2013). Cultural diversity in community sport: An ethnographic inquiry of Somali Australians’ experiences. Sport Management Review, 16(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2012.06.003

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Photo taken on Jan. 14, 2021 shows the Grand Mosque of Khartoum, a landmark in Khartoum, Sudan. (Photo by Mohamed Khidir/Xinhua)

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In Sudan, approximately 90.7% of the people adhere to Islamic faith, mainly the Sunni denomination. Islamic laws and values are incorporated into their day-to-day practices, traditions, and political policies (Atlas, n.d.). Sudan is culturally diverse, with the minority following Christianity and traditional animist beliefs mainly among the Nuba people (Al-Shahi & Collins, 2024). This identity is clear of religious architectures such as mosque, church and the traditional wears (El Zein, 2020). Knowledge of these religious dimensions is crucial while interacting with communities such as the Sudanese because religious beliefs play a major role in shaping social relations, communal life and health endowment.

Al-Shahi, A. S., & Collins, R. O. (2024). Sudan - Religion. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan/Religion

Atlas, C. (n.d.). North Sudanese Culture - Religion. Cultural Atlas. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/north-sudanese-culture/north-sudanese-culture-religion

El Zein, I. S. (2020). The Nilotic Sudan. The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Archaeology, 395.

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Yasmeen Abdullah’s art, part of the "Blue for Sudan" campaign, depicts blue hands reaching down toward a fallen martyr.

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Art played a crucial role in the 2019 Sudanese revolution, where most of the dialogues, cohesion and coordination of various protestors’ activities were through art. Prominent Sudanese artists, for instance, Hussein Merghani, Galal Yousuf and Khalid Albaih employed their artistic creativity in raising observing struggles, paying homage to martyrs and encouraging people (Roksana Hajduga, 2018). Through Yasmeen Abdullah digital art, it helped mobilize communities all over the world to stand in solidarity with Sudan (Murray, 2020). Through art, artists could come up with images that people could identify with and kept the spirit of the revolution going. As Sudan progressively transforms, these artists persist in playing a role in societal healing as well as promoting justice and unity through art, thus practicing revolutionary art history. (Lonardi, 2021). It features the best of their work, as well as demonstrating the power of creativity in the social transformation process.

Lonardi, A. R. (2021, June 21). Art on the front lines of a changing Sudan. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/6/30/art-on-the-front-lines-of-a-changing-sudan

Murray, E. (2020, November 12). How Art Helped Propel Sudan’s Revolution. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/blog/2020/11/how-art-helped-propel-sudans-revolution

Roksana Hajduga. (2018). The Art of Revolution: The Online and Offline Perception of Communication during the Uprisings in Sudan in 2018 and 2019. Sandpoints.org. https://pages.sandpoints.org/dotawo/article/roksana/

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For me, the most significant aspect was the Competency Standard 1.2, which focuses on ‘acknowledging refugee-like experiences such as trauma and post-traumatic stress disorders and integrating these experiences into clinical practice’ (Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice Framework, 2019, p. 12). It has enhanced my knowledge in helping refugee patients since I understand and can recognize ways by which such experiences influence their health. Having understood the importance of person-centered care delivery, I now know that listening to the patients, assessing their needs, and including them in care plans is crucial and I now feel more capable of caring for patients from different cultures. This knowledge is essential to me in the workplace as it enhances the quality of care given to refugees by ensuring that they receive the care they need in a manner that is courteous and sensitive to their cultural practices respecting their experiences and promoting their well-being.

Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice Framework. (2019). Culturally responsive clinical practice: Working with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

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A couple of health-specific socio-economic factors about refugees encompassed by the WHO’s social determinants of health include social inclusion and non-discrimination. The WHO Regional Office for Europe (2021) describes that social inclusion plays a significant role in enhancing health, through the access to such resources and the feeling of acceptance in society. Discrimination and social marginalization raise mental health concerns and also disrupt service delivery (WHO, 2023). Social integration aids in reducing stress and trauma that may be as a result of past conflicts and displacements for the Sudanese refugees, gain access to medical and service facilities (WHO, 2023). Creating equal and non-discriminatory environment increases the health of an individual and also fades out the issues of health in the community (Alencar, Williams, & Johnson, 2022).

Alencar, A., Williams, M., & Johnson, R. (2022). The effects of social inclusion and discrimination on health outcomes among refugees: A systematic review. Journal of Refugee Studies, 35(2), 324-340. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fex045

World Health Organization. (2023). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/

WHO Regional Office for Europe. (2021). Social inclusion and health: The impact of social determinants on health outcomes. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/social-determinants-of-health/social-inclusion-and-health

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Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae)

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Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae): ‘Karkade’ The plant belongs to the Malvaceae family, and it is one of the commonly used plants in traditional Sudanese medicine. Originally from Southern Sudan but now cultivated throughout the country, it is mainly used as hot or cold infusion, a herbal tea. It is used for treating high blood pressure, colds, fever, and acts as a spasmolytic and antimicrobial substance. The calyces are boiled with sugar to prepare the popular drink “Karkade.” Experimentally it has been reported to possess antibacterial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, antihypertensive, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity due to the presence of phenolic acids, organic acids, and anthocyanins. However, it demonstrates no inhibition against Candida albicans a type of fungal pathogen (Kuhnert & Karar, 2017).

Kuhnert, N., & Karar, M. E. (2017). Herbal drugs from Sudan: Traditional uses and phytoconstituents. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 11(22), 83. https://doi.org/10.4103/phrev.phrev_15_15

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Principle health issues that refugees face

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Principle health issues that refugees face

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Country of focus: Sudan

Sudan is a country found in Northeast Africa. It has experienced prolonged civil conflict, human rights abuses, and economic difficulties, which have forced many to seek asylum in countries like Australia (UNHCR,2021). Sudanese refugees arriving in Australia may present with various health concerns, including mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder because of the traumatic experiences they endured (Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide, 2021).

One treatment available for refugees with PTSD condition is trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), which helps individuals process traumatic memories and develop coping strategies to manage symptoms. This approach is helpful as it conveys the psychological and cultural dimensions of the refugees' experiences, promoting long-term mental health and well-being (Nickerson, Bryant, Silove, and Steve,2011).

Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide. (2021). Mental health. https://refugeehealthguide.org.au/mental-health/

Nickerson, A., Bryant, R. A., Silove, D., & Steel, Z. (2011). A critical review of psychological treatments of posttraumatic stress disorder in refugees. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 399-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.10.004

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2021). Global trends: Forced displacement in 2020. https://www.unhcr.org/60b638e37/unhcr-global-trends-2020