IFD project on Sudan!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The colors stand for Arab unity and independence. The red stripe represents Sudan's struggle for independence and the sacrifices of the country's martyrs. The white represents peace, light and optimism. It also represents the White Flag League which was a nationalist group that rose up against colonial rule in 1924. The black represents Sudan; in Arabic 'Sudan' means black. It also represents the black flag of nationalists who fought colonial rule during the Mahdist Revolution, late in 19th century. Green represents Islam, agriculture and the prosperity of the land.

Sudan Background Information

Geographical facts

Date of independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 2,505,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km
water: 129,810 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 7,687 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)

Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold

Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 30% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 19,460 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms

Environment—current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification

Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography—note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

Population size

Population: 34,475,690 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 7,941,909; female 7,614,225)
15-64 years: 53% (male 9,094,712; female 9,061,194)
65 years and over: 2% (male 423,389; female 340,261) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.71% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 39.34 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.6 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.24 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 70.94 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.4 years
male: 55.41 years
female: 57.44 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.58 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese

Ethnic groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of Arabization in process

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46.1%
male: 57.7%
female: 34.6% (1995 est.)

CURRENCY

The official currency is the Dinar (DSd) formerly the Pound (LSd) divided into 100 Piastres and 1,000 Milliemes.

Sudan Languages

Languages spoken in Africa fall into four language superstocks. Three of them--Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Kurdufanian, and Nilo-Saharan--are represented in Sudan. Each is divided into groups that in turn subdivided into sets of closely related languages. Two or more major groups of each superstock are represented in Sudan, which has been historically both a northsouth and an east-west migration crossroad.

The widely spoken language in Sudan is Arabic, a member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Cushitic, another major division of the Afro-Asiatic language, is represented by Bedawiye (with several dialects), spoken by the largely nomadic Beja. Chadic, a third division, is represented by its most important single language, Hausa, a West African tongue used by the Hausa themselves and employed by many other West Africans in Sudan as a lingua franca.

The number of languages and dialects in Sudan is about 400. Moreover, languages of smaller ethnic groups tended to disappear when the groups assimilated with more dominant ethnic units.

Modern Standard Arabic is the principle in Arab and presumably permits communication among educated persons whose mother tongue is one or another form of colloquial Arabic. Despite its international character, Modern Standard Arabic varies from country to country. It has been the language used in Sudan's central government, the press, and Radio Omdurman. The latter also broadcast in classical Arabic.
In the south, the first two years of primary school were taught in the local language. Thereafter, through secondary school, either Arabic or English could become the medium of instruction (English and Arabic were regarded as of equal importance); the language not used as a medium was taught as a subject. In the early 1970s, when this option was established, roughly half the general secondary classes (equivalent to grades seven through nine) were conducted in Arabic and half in English in Bahr al Ghazal and Al Istiwai provinces. In early 1991, with about 90 percent of the southern third of the country controlled by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the use of Arabic as a medium of instruction in southern schools remained a political issue, with many southerners regarding Arabic as an element in northern cultural domination.

Sudan Greetings
Arabic: Salaam aleikum

Sudan Thank you
Shukran

Sudan Newspaper Article

Sudan: American imperialism wants peace … and, above all, the oil

A new agreement opening the way to the settlement of the bloody civil war in the Sudan was signed on July 20. The two parties attempting to regulate this half-a-century old battle were the dictator of the Sudan and the rebel forces of the Liberation Army of the People of the Sudan that operates in the south of the country.

But behind these parties stands the United States, which far from being concerned about the right of self-determination granted to the southern region, or the separation of church and state proposed in the document, is more concerned about all the oil that lies below ground in this country.

The Sudan, located in East Africa, is an artificial state created at the end of the 19th century by British imperialism. It was created to act as a buffer against French colonial expansion into Africa. The civil war first began in 1955, just one year before independence was established for the Sudan. This civil war erupted when British colonialism tried to impose a Muslim fundamentalist regime on a population in the South of the country that was predominantly Christian, or animist.

A war inflamed by imperialism
If this civil war has continued for so long, it is because the rival forces fighting for power inside the country were supported, on one side or the other, by various imperialist powers. The seizure of power in Khartoum by the current dictator at the end of the 1980s was not only supported by the Muslim fundamentalists, but also by France; while the United States and Great Britain passed both military and financial support through Uganda to the guerillas in the south of the Sudan. Later, the U.S. declared the Sudan a terrorist state because it had at one point harbored Bin Laden. In 1998, the U.S. bombed a pharmaceutical factory there under the pretext that it was producing chemical weapons.

But more recently, American imperialism reestablished its diplomatic relationship to the Sudan: The U.S. no longer considers it to be a terrorist state. And after the Sudan cracked down on its Muslim supporters, the U.S. has even listed it as a country for tourists to visit.

Of course, the fact that the Sudan regime continues to rule by terror against its own population is of no concern to American imperialism. What is important to the U.S. is that the regime has offered to serve as a stabilizing political force in the Horn of Africa.

So, if the United States has changed its politics in relationship to the Sudan, it is not for humanitarian reasons, but for political and economic ones, and above all, for the potential profits to be made off the oil in this region.

Imperialism is above all interested in oil
In fact, since 1999, the Sudan has become an exporter of crude oil with a production capacity that in the next three years could reach 500,000 barrels a day. Its reserves are estimated to be more than three billion barrels! That is what makes this country very attractive to the big American oil companies.

If there can be a political settlement to the conflict in the Sudan (having nothing directly 9to do with the interests of the population) the exploitation of oil in the Sudan can quickly become very profitable, and the benefits can be split between the American oil companies, the military regime in Khartoum and the leaders of the rebellion in the south. These are the reasons, finally, why American imperialism has now decided to intervene in the civil war in the Sudan to calm it, rather than to inflame it as before.

Another newspaper link.

http://www.sudantribune.com

Sudanese Cultural Custom

It is a male society and is famous for their genuine friendship ,hospitality offered and courteous ,always ready to help a foreigner.

They are very formal in greeting and the guests are expected to respond in similar way. The host will ask about the visitor and his family's welfare.

When two men meet each other , they would shake hands and tap each other’s shoulder at the same time whereas the Sudanese ladies would hug their friends.

Whenever a Sudanese vistor is present for any reasons, refreshment will be offer to the him.

Their custom is for a man or woman to call up the westerner and ask whether they are free on the Friday so that they could drop in for a visit.It is needed for one to check with the host that whether the wife is also invited to the dinner.

The people usually will eat at home about 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. for dinner.At dinners, men and women would be seated seperately. After dinner, tea will be served and the visitors will depart shortly after it. Sudanese care a lot about the well being of their guests and will usually persist them on having second helpings of the food.

Weddings in Sudan will last for several days. The climax of the ceremony is the dancing of the bride which can last for very long.

A girl can be asked for her hand in marriage by ten different men if she is extremely pretty.The suitor with the the most number of cows would be able to marry the girl without any objection from the girl.This kind of system only exist in the Dinka and Nuer tribes which could be considered as bribery.

Marriage is a important and big affair that is celebrated on the wedding day by the entire community and neighbouring areas. Elderly from both sides of the couple's family will act as witnesses for the ceremony. They will also be responsible for laying down the marriage laws and rules.

The man has to show that he is worthy for the girl he has chosen and swear to care for her and their children throughout their lifetime. There will be no separation of couples or divorce in the culture.

Marriages are exactly arranged by the parents of the couple not the couple themselves.Matches are usually made between relatives or members of the same tribe. It is considered common if the bride and groom have not met each other before the wedding.

Another interesting custom is the custom of the “Zar”.It will take place when a Sudanese man or woman feels that they has been possessed by an evil spirit. Friends will then gather together and hire an exorcist to perform the rite. There is a high feeling and great excitement by them.

The Sudanese have a very strong sense of family responsibility. Much of the life of the Sudanese involved visiting families and receiving reciprocal visits. They will put family obligatons above others.

Food

In Sudan, their primary food includes sorghum, millet, maize, groundnuts, potatoes, and beans. They also eat fish, meat, and milk products.

Sudanese usually eat only twice a day.In some areas, breakfast will be eaten at about 11 am to noon and the second meal will be between 8 to 10 pm however in other areas, the family members and their guests only eat together once, around 3 pm.This is because men will eat their breakfast at work and the children will eat at school.

The day begins with a cup of hot tea. Coffee beans are being fried, then ground with cloves and spices. The coffee is filtered through a grass sieve and then served in tiny cups.

Breakfast consist of beans, salad, liver, and bread.Cooking is done outside the house using a tin grill (kanoon) which uses charcoal to burnt.Millet is prepared as a porridge (asida) or a flat bread (kisra). Vegetables are eaten with stews or salads. Nomads are reliable on dairy products and meat from camels. In general, meat costs a lot hence it is not consumed oftenly.

Vegetables consumed are cabbages, carrots, garlic, okra, onions, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.Fruit like bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, papayas and watermelons are grown.

Clothing

In the north, Muslim women still follow the tradition by covering their entire bodies . They would wrap themselves in a tobe. Men would wear a long white robe (jallabiyah) with a small cap or a turban for the covering of their head.

Facial scarring is an ancient Sudanese custom. Even though it is less common today, it is carried out. Different tribes will have different markings. This is a sign of bravery among men, and beauty in women.

Music

Sudan has a rich and unique musical culture during the modern history of Sudan.

Sudan national anthem: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kXIEpwr1uYk

Remember to pause the blog song first. (:

Sports

Sudanese were acquainted with sports like horsemanship , swimming and wrestling during the colonial rule. Sporting disciplines were organized by specialized clubs.

The major clubs and teams in Khartoum are Hilal, Mareikh and Morada. About all of the sports activities have their own sports clubs.

Football

Football is the most popular sport in Sudan.Many children gather together just for a match even in remote villages in the desert. Sudan had won the African Cup of Nations in 1970.

Problems in Sudan

War in Darfur:

The Darfur conflict began in Darfur, Sudan, when the Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army(SLIM/A) and Justice and Equality Movement(JEM) in Darfur accused the government of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs. These people are known as Janjawad. The party also accused the government of tampering with evidence, such as attempting to cover up mass graves. The Janjawad became more aggressive in 2003. They arrested and harassed journalists, thus limiting the extent of press coverage of the situation in Darfur.

Due to this, Darfur has faced many years of tension over the land and grazing rights between the mostly Arabs and farmers from Darfur. Leading at least 2.7 million people to flee their homes and now live in camps near Darfur's main towns. At these camps there are not much food and water so people often leave their camps in order to find them. Normally, men are killed and women are raped when they are found by the Janjawad. A total of 300,000 have died from war, famine or disease.

Although a Darfur major rebel group has signed a peace deal with the government, the region still remains unstable and armed-robberies and low-level crime are rife. The conflict in Darfur is due to racism and I think that we are all lucky to be at Singapore when we all practice racial harmony.

Historical Past Events of Sudan

· 1822 North Sudan falls under Turko-Egyptian rule. Mohamed Ali of Turkey wanted Negro slaves to strengthen his army. Abortive attempts to extend rule over South Sudan .

· 1940 Complete elimination of Arab and Moslem influence in South Sudan.

· 1946 Britain reverses the Southern Policy after agitation against it by the North. Protests against reversal by British administrators in the South.

· 1947 The Juba Conference held to allay the fears of its administrators in the South. South Sudanese themselves were betrayed by Britain.

· 1951 Constitutional commission formed with only one South Sudanese representative, who proposes a federal arrangement between the South and the North. Buth Diu forms the Southern Sudan Party, first ever.

· 1956 Sudan gains independence but Federation rejected by the Northerners.

· 1957 Government takes over mission schools in the South Sudan .

· 1958 Power handed to General Abboud by Premier Abdalla Khalil; Forced Islamization and Arabization of South Sudan nationals.

· 1968 Assassination of William Deng by government troops near Rumbek.

· 1969 Nimeriy's Military coup; declares Regional Autonomy for the South.

· 1972 Addis Ababa Accord between the Anya Nya and Sudan Government.

· 1978 Gen. Lagu deposes Abel Alier as President of High Executive Council in popular "wind of change" elections.

· 1999 Wunlit Dinka-Nuer convenant signed to bring peace between Dinka and Nuer of West Bank of the Nile.

· 2003 February; Fighting erupts in Darfur region between govt. and insurgents.

· 2003 September 25; Security Arrangement Agreement signed.

· 2004 January 7, Naivasha, Kenya: Wealth sharing agreement signed.

· 2004 July 30, United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 1556, giving Arab Sudan government 30 days in which to disarm Arab militia and restore security in Darfur.

Labels: Sudan

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