CAIRO — As the performers took to the stage and the sound of traditional drums gained momentum, Sudanese refugees sitting in the audience were moved to tears. Hadia Moussa said the melody reminded her of her family’s ancestral homeland, the country’s Nuba Mountains.
“Performances like this help people who have been psychologically affected by the war. It reminds us of Sudanese folklore and our culture,” she said.
Sudan has been mired in violence since April 2023, when war broke out across the country between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has turned the capital Khartoum into an urban battleground, displacing 4.6 million people, including more than 419,000 who have fled to Egypt, according to the United Nations migration agency.
The band, made up of 12 Sudanese members, is currently living in Egypt with thousands of other refugees. The troupe, called ‘Kamirata’, includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of traditional Sudanese folk music and dance from being lost in a devastating war. .
Formed in 1997, the band gained popularity in Khartoum and subsequently began touring to various states, employing a diverse range of musicians, dancers, and styles. They sing in 25 different Sudanese languages. Founder Dafala El Hag comes as Sudan struggles with a difficult economic and political transition after a 2019 uprising ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. , said that the band members recently started moving to Egypt. After the violence began, others followed. El Hag arrived late last year.
The band uses a variety of local instruments on stage. El-Hag said audiences are often surprised to see the tambour, a string-like instrument, played on the ngara drum, combined with the sounds of the banimbo, a wooden xylophone.
“This combination of instruments helped promote a kind of forgiveness and unity among the Sudanese people,” Elhag said, adding that the collection of historic instruments, which had reportedly been looted and damaged, He added that he is keen to revive the museum in Khartoum where he is currently located.
Fatma Farid (21), a singer and dancer from Kordofan, moved to Egypt in 2021. Her aunt died in 2023 when an explosive device fell on her home in Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state.
“My perspective on art has changed a lot since the war started,” she said. “As an artist, you think about what you want to express. You can convey a message,” she said.
Kausar Osman, a native of Madani City who has been singing with the band since 1997, feels nostalgic when he sings about the Nile, which is formed in Sudan from two upper tributaries of the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
“It reminds me of the current situation in Sudan,” she said, adding that the war “only inspired the band to sing more for peace.”
More than 2 million Sudanese have fled the country, mostly to neighboring Egypt and Chad, where the World Hunger Index reports hunger in Chad is at “severe” levels. More than 500,000 forcibly displaced Sudanese have taken refuge in Chad, mostly women and children.
As the war spread beyond Khartoum, living conditions deteriorated for those who remained in Sudan. Many made the difficult decision early in the war to flee across the front lines or risk being caught in the heat of battle. In Darfur, the war was particularly brutal, resulting in famine, with militias attacking and burning entire villages.
Armed robbery, looting, and seizure of housing for bases were some of the challenges faced by Sudanese who remained in the country’s urban areas. Hospitals have been attacked by fighter jets and airstrikes, leaving some people struggling to find food, water, power and medical treatment. Communication networks are often barely functional.
The performers say it is difficult to talk to their family and friends who are still in the country, much less consider returning home.
“I don’t know if I will go back to Sudan, see Sudan again or walk the same path,” Farid said.
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Video journalist Mohamed Salah contributed to this report from Cairo.
