Articles and Analysies
The Sudanism, is it going to work?/By: Izzadin Abdul Rasoul
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Aug 22, 2006 - 4:16:00 PM

The Sudanism, is it going to work?

By: Izzadin Abdul Rasoul

An old woman, evidently over 80, entered a public transportation mini bus, rushing, carrying many gadgets, in her hands, which she put along with her two bags on the seat next to me and quickly went to the bus door, returning with another big black plastic bag-with some heavy stuff in it. She directly came and sat beside me. She bounced and started arranging her gadgets; she put some of them under the seat and some others on her lap. I knew that her deep sighs were an indication of her self content that she was able to find a seat amidst so many people rushing at the door to find seats.

    Usually when I am in a bus to avoid boredom I always try to keep myself busy either reading or thinking on something I am supposed to do next. That woman attracted my attention because she very concerned to keep her bulk of things from disturbing me. She kept drawing her gadgets towards herself.

   The self-confidence on that woman made me remember my mother of her age, stranded for three years at IDPs camp in Zalingi like other mothers in Darfur.

    At the traffic jammed, I tried to break the tension on the old mother and assured her that she was not harassing me with the things she was carrying. I looked in her direction and without any introduction I said to her, "Mom, look at the logo photos at the wedding showrooms; they are all photos of women from the Arab world and Europe. I went on, saying that although we have our very beautiful Sudanese women and our own culture that can reflect the better wedding rituals.  That old woman with a big smile said,  "My son, Sudanese are blind to admire their own things".     She proceeded to say,  "My son, when I am traveling to North Sudan to see my family on my way I do not eat anything until I get home and I make my own food, because the food cooked on the high ways is food of other countries that we do not know what is in it ". 

    Then she stopped for a moment and said with a smirk that the girls these days spend most of their times painting themselves.  These last words made me break up with laughter; then I noticed the conductor and other passengers, especially men, were giggling too. One of the passengers said, why do Sudanese women try to change their original Sudanese colors although we like them as they are; or do they do this because they are looking for men other than Sudanese men?

   At the police station at Safia the old mother said, "My son, I will come down; then she asked me to snap for the conductor to stop the mini the bus.

   "My son, wada tak Alla (God be with you or God)." These were the last words she said to me. I knew that this old mother was from the North of Sudan from the three strips cuts on her face. It would appear that she spent most of her life in the North of Sudan because she felt very proud about the North countryside.

   Obviously the discontent of the old women about our behavior made me reflect on something the late Dr. John Garang said in an interview. One of the reporters asked him, "Dr., you have a vision of a New Sudan, are you going to push Africanism against Arabism?  His answer was very simple, "According to my vision Sudan is neither Arab nor African, but if you like the term -ism, let us speak about Sudanism.

    Today in Sudan we have a big crisis, bigger than the crisis of South Sudan, Darfur or East Sudan or Amri.  Our bodies are in Sudan and our minds are somewhere else.  This is not on the level of individuals but on the level of the government and politicians.        We Sudanese are people who love and admire the things of other peoples and regard everything that looks Sudanese as primitive and backwards.  Such bad feelings about own ourselves has a negative impact on our children.

   On cloudy day as I remember, school children sitting beside me were talking to each other; one of them said today is a very nice day, I wish if I were in Egypt at the Red Sea. The second said no, not Egypt but Lebanon under trees.  I said to the who wanted to be under trees that he should go to south Sudan and Jabal Mara- and to the one who wanted Red Sea that he should go the Red Sea at Arkawaitt.  Both with one voice they said, "Amo (uncle), you are backwards, what is South and what is Jabal Mara; what is Arkawit at the Red Sea? They are nonsense.  After these innocent remarks I said nothing. I immediately remembered the wife of a prominent politician who requested the name of Sudan to be changed. She contended that the name Sudan connotes black color, which indicates a bad omen.  

    Hence, the country Sudan after these pieces of peaces needs tough work.  The history must be rewritten.  The curriculum must be changed, the new flag must be created; a new one that could reflect the diversity of our communities.  The laws must be amended to become ourselves and build self-confidence in our people.  In the government offices if Sudanese are waiting and a foreigner comes in, the official will directly turn to deal with the foreigner and neglect the Sudanese.  Yes, foreigners must be respected as guests, but not in the expense of the indigenous people.  In the African countries I have visited the investment laws demand that 60 % of the shares in a business must be owned by the country  country�from the citizens and 40 % for the foreigner. The Sudanese who lived or traveled abroad know the value of our country. My request for those who always look at this country with eyes of other countries to immediately leave this countries and go to live where they can feel proud of themselves. We must stop the belligerent racism and odium against ourselves. We must stand on the faces of those of neo-colonist who want to keep the status co of racism to continue controlling everything in the country. Our bothers Coptic and those whiter colors than Sudanese Arabs are not excluded from the racism; they are called Hallab to demean them. Aime C'esane could not have been right when he said, No race possesses the monopoly on truth, intelligence, force and there is room for all of us at the rendezvous of victory. Be as it may let us unravel the truth of ourselves, and create a nation which our grand sons will feel proud of it.

God bless Sudan and save it from the bigots who are blind to see themselves in real perspectives. Amen