Sudan's history began with the Kush Kingdom in antiquity. Following the initial arrival of Islam in Sudan during the 7th century, the Arabic language and Islamic traditions permeated the nation's culture (Collins, 2023).

The 19th century saw foreign colonization of Sudan, which altered its political structure and cultural norms and ultimately cleared the path for independence and the establishment of a modern state in 1956. Fifteen months have passed since the Rapid Support Force and the Sudanese armed forces started fighting each other in Sudan (Kramer, Lobban, & Fluehr-Lobban, 2013).

The ongoing war in Sudan caused gunfire and other forms of violence to be experienced by most of the country for over a year. Within the health system, there was a scarcity of utilities and medical supplies (Holt, 1967).

References

Collins, R. O. (2023, August 14). History of Sudan. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Sudan

Holt, P. M. (1967). A modern history of the Sudan. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Kramer, R. S., Lobban, R. A., & Fluehr-Lobban, C. (2013). Historical dictionary of the Sudan (4th ed.). Scarecrow Press.)

Kramer, R.  

Sudan is primarily a Muslim nation. The religion of the Sudanese is Islam. Islam is a monotheistic religion that rejects the idea of intermediaries between individuals and God. Muslims abstain from eating pork, and Islamic law forbids usury (Earle, 2022) Islam in Sudan holds that magic and spirts are the origins of allegiances and illnesses. Sudan has a long history with Christianity, having originated in the Nubian Kingdom in the fourth century (Tounsel, 2023). Christianity began to decline in the seventh century because of the spread of Islam. Christians in Sudan frequently experience prejudice and persecution. Native people have a belief in magic and evil spirits (STIANSEN, 2002)

References

Earle, J. L. (2022). Religion and Nationalism in South Sudan. Journal of African History, 63(2), 254–256. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853722000330

Tounsel, C. (2023). Religion and National Integration in Sudan and India. Political Theology : The Journal of Christian Socialism, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317X.2023.2234212

STIANSEN, E. (2004). RELIGION AND CIVIL WAR IN SOUTHERN SUDAN Religion and Conflict in Sudan: Papers from an International Conference at Yale, May 1999. Edited by Y USUF F ADL H ASAN and R ICHARD G RAY . Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2002. Pp. 208. No price given (ISBN 9966-21-831-9). Journal of African History, 45(2), 350–351. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853704449445

Most Sudanese people are stoic and reticent about their feelings. People are expected by a prevailing cultural norm to keep their struggles and pains hidden. When Sudan is emotionally harmed, it is frequently difficult to tell because they might not express their offense (Ondesire, 2023). This element of Sudanese culture has something to do with a fatalistic mindset. There is a widespread belief that God (Allah) has predetermined every event. So, it is possible to interpret sobbing and complying as a protest god (wal, 2004). For instance, there is a traditional cultural expectation that women do not scream when going through child labour.

References

ondesire, Z. (2023). South Sudan and the cultural politics of East Africa. Cultural Dynamics, 35(3), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/09213740231179401

Dei Wal, N. (2004). Southern Sudanese Culture. Migrant Information Centre, Eastern Melbourne. Retrieved January 2007. Available at: http://www.miceastmelb.com.au/documents/pdaproject/CulturalProfiles/Suda neseCulturalProfile2012.pdf

Anothertravel.com. (2017). Sudanese culture, customs and etiquette. Retrieved from https://www.anothertravel.com/sudanese-culture/

Dukhan is a well- known body ritual in which a particular species of wood is used to smoke the body while it is scented. In northern Sudanese provinces, the ceremony is primarily performed by married women getting ready for marriage((Elgorashi et al., 2022). Taking a dukhan was said to have numerous health benefits, including smoothing the skin, and narrowing the vagina in women. It also treats rheumatic pain, gonorrhoea, and syphilis (El Tayeb, 1998). The procedure for the ritual is as follows, a woman is covered in a local woollen blanket and naked after getting anointed with scented oil. She is then seated in a pit with a hole in the middle, and a fire is lit, and scented wood is placed on it to create smoke (El-Ghazali, El-Tohami, & El-Egami, 1994; El Tayeb, 1998).

 References

 El-Ghazali, G. E., El-Tohami, M. S., & El-Egami, A. A. (1994). Medicinal plants of the Sudan: medicinal plants of the White Nile provinces. National Centre for Research, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research Institute.

 el Tayeb, A. (1998). THE CHANGING CUSTOMS OF RIVERAIN SUDAN: IV: MARRIAGE. Sudan Notes and Records, 2, 13–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45439298

Elgorashi, E. E., Eldeen, I. M. S., Makhafola, T. J., Eloff, J. N., & Verschaeve, L. (2022). Genotoxic effects of Dukhan: A smoke bath from the wood of Acacia seyal used traditionally by Sudanese women. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 285, 114868–114868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114868

Due to a protracted civil war between North and southern Sudan, south Sudanese citizens were forcibly relocated to Australia in the 1990s. After arriving in Australia refugee suffer from varying degrees of post – traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of prolongs physical deprivations and hardships (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2007).

 As part of the post – arriving screening process, they were advice to undergo clinical screening for mental disorders and emotional health issues, as well as ongoing monitoring for stressors related to their experience as refugees and resettlement workers (Savic et al., 2013).

Additionally, patients with trauma and tortured related mental health issues were referred to as a mental health professional.

References

 Department of Immigration and Citizenship. (2007). Sudanese community profile.

Savic, M., Chur‐Hansen, A., Mahmood, M. A., & Moore, V. (2013). Separation from family and its impact on the mental health of Sudanese refugees in Australia: a qualitative study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 37(4), 383–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12088

Abur, W., & Mphande, C. (2020). Mental Health and Wellbeing of South Sudanese-Australians. Journal of Asian and African Studies (Leiden), 55(3), 412–428. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909619880294

References

Metusela, C., Ussher, J., Perz, J., Hawkey, A., Morrow, M., Narchal, R., Estoesta, J., & Monteiro, M. (2017). “In My Culture, We Don’t Know Anything About That”: Sexual and Reproductive Health of Migrant and Refugee Women. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24(6), 836–845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9662-3

Haque, S., & Malebranche, M. (2020). Impact of culture on refugee women’s conceptualization and experience of postpartum depression in high-income countries of resettlement: A scoping review. PloS One, 15(9), e0238109–e0238109. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238109

Nawyn, S. J. (2006). Faith, Ethnicity, and Culture in Refugee Resettlement. The American Behavioral Scientist (Beverly Hills), 49(11), 1509–1527. https://doi.org/10.1177/000276420628846

Department of Immigration and Citizenship. (2007). Sudanese community profile. Principal of health

Abur, W & Spaaij, R 2016, ‘Settlement and employment experiences of South Sudanese people from refugee backgrounds in Melbourne, Australia. Australasian Review of African Studies, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 107–128.

Tilbury, F., Clarke, S., Slee, R., & O’Ferrall, I. (2004). Eritrean, Ethiopian, Somali and Sudanese Communities in Western Australia. Centre for Social and Community Research, Murdoch University.