Sudan Culture by 莊昀庭Kate Chuang

Rational/Introduction

katechuang — 2024-12-17 01:42:51 UTC

The Kaleidoscope project is an online platform for cultural creative collaboration. It collects different cultures from many different countries. It talks about the special culture in the country, and also some cultures might disappear in the future. I’m Kate Chuang, an online contributor who talks about cultures around the world. I hope through this website, people can learn more about Sudan's culture. Protect the cultural heritage of the country, and protect cultures that are about to disappear. Let more people in the world see Sudan's culture. On my website, there will be eleven different categories. It includes a total of 31 different items inside, each category has about 3-4 items. The country I choose to write about is Sudan. Sudan is the third largest country in Africa, in 2011, Sudan was divided into two countries, Sudan and South Sudan. Sudan’s total ˊarea is 1,861,484 square kilometers. There are more than 500 distinct ethnic groups and over 100 languages in Sudan. Now in the world, many countries have very similar cultures, including the reasons for cultural hybridization. This will cause the traditional culture of each country to disappear and be replaced by a global culture. This will make the culture itself no longer have its original characteristics. Some traditional elements may also disappear during the dissemination process. So I need to let more people know about Sudanese culture so that Sudan’s unique culture can be preserved.

Celebrations/Festivals

katechuang — 2024-12-19 01:11:49 UTC

Mawlid an-Nabi: Next year, it will be on 4-5 September, 2025. This is an important festival in Islam. On this day, people gather at the Sufi Turug to celebrate the birth of the Prophet. People gather in public or private. But they will all recite prayers, poems, and calming panegyrics of the Prophet. People also tell stories about the Prophet.

Sufi Holiya Festival: On this day, people celebrate the relationship between brotherhood and family. The purpose of this day is to be held in memory of Sudanese saints and chiefs. People with different ethnic groups or social statuses will all gather and celebrate this day. They dance and hug in the street.

Eid al-Fitr: This celebration is on 28-29, March 2025. Often called the festival of Fast-breaking, it is also one of the important days for Islamic religions. It marks the end of Ramadan, the time when people fast from sunrise to sunset. People wear new clothes, and on the way to the Mosque, people eat some food. They pray together and also donate money to the poor. For many Muslims, this day they express gratitude to others.

More information: https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2019/12/12/mawlid-an-nabi-omdurman/

https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/sudan/eid-al-fitr

Additional information(Whirling dervishes)

katechuang — 2024-12-26 00:47:28 UTC

Whirling Dervishes is a dance that Sudanese dance every Friday at weekly gatherings in Omdurman, near Khartoum. perform their dances and rituals as an act of spiritual devotion and connection to the divine. It is a religious celebration in Sudan. But Whirling Dervishes start in Turkey, then pass down to Sudan. This is an example of Cultural exchange between country and country. The Turkish Whirling Dervishes focus on a formal, more likely like ceremony. But in Sudan, people do this more like a celebration, emphasizing an energetic public.

Religions

katechuang — 2024-12-26 01:18:34 UTC

Islam(Muslim): Islam is a major world religion, according to the Prophet Muhammad, which was established in the 7th century in Arabia. In Sudan, there're 91 percent of the population is Muslim. About 2/3 of the population in Sudan are Muslim. Sudan is also one of the top 12 countries that have the most Muslims. In Sudan, some many festivals or activities are about the Islamic religion.

Christian: In Sudan, Christianity is the second religion. There's about 5.4 percent of the population that are Christian. Christianity is also the top 1 world religion that is popular. From the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth, in the first century AD. The Bible is a book that talks about what Jesus did and the holy spirit.

Indigenous religions: Aboriginal religions are the ancestral religions of the indigenous people of a particular area. In Sudan, there are 2.8 percent follow Indigenous religions.

More information:

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Islam

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_9019

MLA Citation

katechuang — 2024-12-31 00:33:14 UTC

Scan this QR CODE you will go to a Google document. There are all the citations for all items in this Padlet.

Traditional music instruments

katechuang — 2024-12-31 00:57:05 UTC

Tambour: It's a lyre, but a shape like a bowl. This instrument has different names in different places. For example Basinco (East Sudan), Abangaran (Angessana)...and more. This menstrual cycle is composed of a hollow shell-shaped main body, and the top is composed of a wooden or metal head. Five cords made of nylon or metal are stretched taut along the neck. The instrument has two holes representing eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmqH1utxMXU&ab_channel=TheBritishMuseum

Nugara: It is a type of drum. People use this instrument during Sudanese folk music and cultural ceremonies. For example a wedding. Accompanied by dance and other musical instruments. This instrument is made of a wooden body with an animal skin head. It produces a low, resonant sound.

Wazza: This instrument is also called the al-wazza. It is a long-wind instrument made up of several wooden pipes connected. It transforms into a gourd-like trumpet that also strikes to create a percussive effect when played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjFiWHT-Hds&ab_channel=CGTNAfrica

(Online news video about the instrument Wazza)

More information:

https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/traditional-music-instruments-sudan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagara_(drum)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wazza

Additional information(Traditional music)

katechuang — 2024-12-31 00:58:31 UTC

This is a video about the traditional music in Sudan.

https://genius.com/artists/Sudan-archives

(This is the link showing the Sudan music lyrics)

Content page

katechuang — 2024-12-31 01:05:26 UTC

Rational/Introduction
Celebration/Festival
(Whirling dervishes)
Religions
Traditional music instrument
(Traditional music)
Ethnic groups
Languages
River
Architecture
Sport
Food
Clothing
Storytelling/Folktale
Two relevant Biographies of Notable Cultural Figures
MLA Citation

Ethnic groups

katechuang — 2025-01-02 16:37:51 UTC

Sudanese Arabs: In Sudan, there are more than 500 different ethnic groups. But 70% of the population in Sudan are Sudanese Arabs. They are considered Arabs and speak Arabic as their native language. Sudan is also the top 1 country in the world that has the most Sudanese Arabs. Sudanese Arabs are a centuries-long mixture of indigenous Africans and Arab immigrants. They learn their identity as Arabs, as well as the language and culture of Arabs.

Beja: Beja people are the second largest ethnic group in Sudan. There are 5.9% of the population Beja people. They lived in the deserts and dry mountains of the Red Sea hills of eastern Sudan for more than 4,000 years. As time passed, the Beja people began Arabization and Islamization. So Beja people speak Arabic language, and they wear Arab clothing.

Nuba: Nuba people are the third ethnic group in Sudan, there's about 2.5% of the population. They are made up of more than 50 different ethnic groups and live in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, Sudan. Because of that, the Nuba people speak different languages. They live in a house called "shall", different from other ethnic groups in Sudan.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_Arabs

https://minorityrights.org/communities/beja/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuba_peoples

Language

katechuang — 2025-01-03 11:50:14 UTC

Arabic: Arabic is the official language spoken in Sudan. Because there are half of the population Sudanese Arabs, and Beja people, both ethnicities speak the Arabic language in Sudan.

Nubian: Nubian is the language spoken by Nubian people. This language is spoken throughout much of Sudan. But because Sudan mostly being Arabization, the Nubian language is more spoken in southern Egypt.

Beja: Beja is an Afroastic language, mostly spoken on the western coast of the Red Sea by the Beja people. This language is spoken in the country like Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea.

Meroitic: This language is spoken in Meroe, but is now spoken in Sudan mostly. This language has two types of Meroitic alphabets, Merotitc Cursive and Meroitic Hieroglyphic.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_Arabic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubian_languages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beja_language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meroitic_language

River

katechuang — 2025-01-05 07:35:51 UTC

Nile River: The Nile is the longest river in Africa, also considered the longest river in the world. It has been through eleven countries. The Nile is the primary water source for Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Nile is a very important economic driver supporting agriculture and fishing. The Nile has two major tributaries, which are the White Nile and the Blue Nile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEjUoN2GjEs&ab_channel=ABCNews

(Online news video introducing the Nile River)

Atbarah River: It originated in northwest Ethiopia. The Atbarah River also called Red Nile or Black Nile, is a river in northeast Africa. The river joins the Nile near the town of Atbara in Sudan.

Bahr el Ghazal River: This is a river in South Sudan. The Ghazal River is the main tributary of the Nile River in the west. River help the farmer provide the water for farming.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atbarah_River

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahr_el_Ghazal_River

Architecture

katechuang — 2025-01-05 10:11:03 UTC

Pyramid of Meroe: The Pyramid of Meroe is located in Sudan. Mostly located in the region of Nubia along the eastern bank of the Nile River. This is a large number of Nubian pyramids. The pyramid is the burial place for Kushite monarchs, other members of the royal family, important officials, and dignitaries. People put their dead bodies inside the pyramid.

https://artsexperiments.withgoogle.com/meroe/#top

(when you click on this website, scroll down to the next page, there's an audio file explaining the Pyramid of Meroe)

Ancient temples in Jebel Barkal: It is a mesa made from a large rock outcrop located 400 km north of Khartoum, next to Karima in the Northern State of Sudan, on the Nile River. That place is sometimes called Nubia. The jebel is 104 m tall, it has religious significance for people.

Nubian mud-brick houses: Nubian people live in mud-brick houses. The mud is made of mixing water and any combination of soil, silt, and clay.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramids_of_Mero%C3%AB

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jebel_Barkal

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358693970_The_mud_traditional_architecture_of_the_Sudan_and_Saudi_Arabia_The_difference_in_employment_techniques

Sport

katechuang — 2025-01-05 12:03:35 UTC

Nuba wrestling: This is a traditional sport of the Nuba people, this sport is seen as a way to show strength and courage. Most of the time, Nuba wrestling is accompanied by a stick-fighting race.

Stick fighting: This is more like a race, but it's similar to wrestling. Participants are given a staff and shield as weapons for combat. The purpose of this sport is to thank God for a good harvest. The event always begins with an invitation from one tribe to another. And they will send their emissaries to represent the contestants.

Camel racing: It is a racing sport, much like horse racing. Jockeys ride camels competing against each other to complete a prescribed number of laps around a circular track. The camel that runs faster can win the race.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuba_wrestling

https://www.traditionalsports.org/traditional-sports/africa/nubian-stick-sudan.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_racing

Food

katechuang — 2025-01-07 00:22:30 UTC

Kamounia: This food is made with beef and liver stew prepared with cumin. It is a cuisine that people make in Sudan. Sometimes people change beef to lamp, and they will add some spices inside. On the button of the beef, people will put some cooked rice under it.

Gorraasa be Dama: Goraasa is a quick flatbread and dama is a beef stew. The stew inside is served a little thicker, like a curry. People usually match some bread when eating.

Ful Sudani: It is a traditional cookie originating from Sudan. It's more likely a peanut macaroon. This dessert will add white egg and vanilla flavor inside. And on the top of the cookie, there will be peanuts that are being cooked. So there will be a good smell of peanuts. Sometimes people eat Ful Sudani with tea. So it won't be tested to dry while eating.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamounia

https://www.dietassassinista.com/blog/2017/4/24/goraasa-be-dama-sudanese-beef-stew-over-easy-flatbread

https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-dishes-in-sudan

Clothing

katechuang — 2025-01-07 00:49:36 UTC

Toob: This is Sudan's traditional women's clothing, which covers the length from head to toe, but is thin and not very thick. Will wrap around the female body. In the past, women were required to wear Toob regardless of their social status. But now there are no regulations.

Jalabiya: It's a kind of dress for men to wear. Mostly, the Jalabiya is color white with a long dress. But in different places, there are different kinds of Jalabiya. For example, some places have long, roomy sleeves on the dress. Also, some people will wear with fabric hat or a turban called Imma.

Turban(Immamah): It is a turban that uses a long piece of cloth to wrap the hair. Turban is also used to block the sun, prevent sand, etc. In some places, the turban is represented by their religion. Like Muslims, they need to wear a Turban while they are praying.

More information:

https://www.planetjawal.com/sudanese-traditional-clothing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turban

Storytelling/Folktale

katechuang — 2025-01-07 00:49:56 UTC

The Sun of the Sultan: This is the famous folktale in Sudan. These folktales used to be told to children by their grandparents. In this Sudanese folktale, Abd Al Salam, the son of a Sultan, seeks a true friend after his father’s death, following his mother’s advice to test his companions by how they share three eggs at breakfast. The wazir's son pretends to be polite, the judge's son is greedy, and the merchant's son is dismissive of the simple meal. However, the humble son of a wood-cutter fairly divides the eggs and proves himself loyal and trustworthy. Abd Al-Salam befriends him, learns valuable life skills, and later, when he becomes Sultan, makes the wood-cutter son his loyal Wazir. Together, they rule the kingdom in harmony. There are other folktales from Sudan that are being passed down. For example the story "The Clever Girl and the Sultan", and "The Cursed Tree".

More information:

https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2021/02/18/the-son-of-the-sultan/

Abdel Karim al Kabli

katechuang — 2025-01-09 00:19:59 UTC

Abdel Karim al Kabi was born on April 13, 1932, and died on 2, December, 2021. He is a very famous singer-songwriter, and he is also a poet and humanitarian. He wrote 150 songs. The songs often explore love and even nationalism. Sudanese folklore also appears in his lyrics. Furthermore, he doesn’t just stop at music. He is an active advocate for women's rights. In 2006, he became a United Nations Population Fund Goodwill Ambassador.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdel_Karim_al_Kabli

Tayeb Salih

katechuang — 2025-01-09 00:22:17 UTC

Tayeb Salih was born on 12, July 1929, and died on 18, February, 2009. He is a famous novelist and author, best known for his work "The Northern Migration Season". The novel is ranked as one of the most important novels in Sudanese Arabic literature. Themes of identity, colonialism, and Sudanese society are explored in his literary works. Saleh's works have won international acclaim and played a crucial role in shaping Sudanese literature.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tayeb_Salih

MLA Citation

katechuang — 2025-01-09 01:16:43 UTC

If you can't scan the QR CODE you can click this PDF document.