#sudanese poetry

[tierracottas]

praying for the liberation of Sudan. x

#poetry #free sudan #sudan archives #sudanese poetry #sudanese art #literature #text

[bones-ivy-breath]

Music is playing the chessboard with no table and still it kills. The boys on the wall of the girls’ school have been here before. As if I’m smoke toying with a knife, as if I’m a finger not sewing a fleeting song.

They always kill me by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi

#poetry #they always kill me #Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi #literature #aesthetic #dark academia #light academia #arabic poetry #sudanese poetry #arabic literature #african literature #african poetry #sudanese literature #death #dark things

[andrumedus]

Every day I get more convinced that I was created for you alone. It is through your eyes that I saw the world; on your lips my poems were born. Without you, my life is a wasteland. I am colorless, tasteless, smelling like a land never visited by rain.

Rawda el-Haj, tr. & ed. Adil Babikir, Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology; “Heart’s Confessions”

#literature #poetry #rawda el-haj #modern sudanese poetry: an anthology #lovers at the edge of eros #we sit in each other's souls #you you you #sudanese lit #m #x

[feral-ballad]

Idris Jamma, tr. by Adil Babikir, from Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology; “In the Spring of Love”

[Text ID: “I lost pace with the past; / sorrow engrossed deep at heart.”]

#idris jamma #sudanese literature #excerpts #writings #literature #poetry #fragments #selections #words #quotes #poetry collection #typography #poetry in translation

[shingyou]

dearest alls, i could write to tell you there are no words could narrate a devastation a plea to make you cry but that would be a lie "no words" from your warm seat are a lie there will not be silence fuck your pity-party bullshit fuck you who can think of an I without a We

#poem #poetry #palestine #israeli apartheid #palestinian genocide #congo genocide #congolese genocide #sudan genocide #sudanese genocide

[eyeoftheheart]

Thank you to @lilacmuse

#sufi #modern sudanese poetry #abdel raheem abu zikra #sufi poetry #poetry #love poem #eye of the heart #soulmaking

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"Home Is Not a Country" by Safia Elhillo book recommendation by Rachel Bullard

#books #book review #book recommendations #book #reader #sudan #sudanese #haunting #ghost stories #haunted #poetry #poems #dark academia #immigrant experience

[arablit]

From 'The Beauty Hunters': An Excerpt from Adil Babikir's Work on Sudanese Bedouin Poetry

APRIL 4, 2023 — Al-Ḥārdallo is a central figure in Adil Babikir’s The Beauty Hunters: Sudanese Bedouin Poetry, Evolution and Impact, which appeared this Saturday from University of Nebraska Press. Not only is he a central figure in the poetic tradition Babikir traces in the book, but he is also a compelling character, who lived through three distinct periods of Sudanese history: Turco-Egyptian…

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#Adil Babakir #Hardallo #The Beauty Hunters: Sudanese Bedouin Poetry

[poetryfoundation-potd]

A Memory of Us

By Safia Elhillo

when i think of us i think of the lakewater

near longtown, what might not technically

constitute a lake but i prefer that word for

the open mouth of its vowel, how it called

us to its throat & held us there, in the sun,

the high points of our faces slick with light

& its arc around our shoulders, the soft

gathering of flesh around our knees,

the lone chair we found near the shore

where we took turns posing, jutting out

an eloquent hip, cackling in the bright language

of flowers for whom i downloaded an app

& learned their names: beautyberry, yarrow,

cornus florida, black-eyed susan, & you,

& you, my bright hibiscus, my every color

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/159491/a-memory-of-us

No Audio Included

#poetry #poetry foundation #english #sudanese american

[undinesea]

Transform me into words Roses A sky besieged by tragedy. Transform me into you so I can fly.

Hatim Al Kinani, from “Skies” in Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology

#hatim al kinani #poetry

[queenie-blackthorn]

tips for writing arab characters

writer here!! im a middle eastern writer whos noticed that theres a VERY significant lack of info on how to write arabs, so im here to help !! (however, keep in mind that im specifically gulf arab and may not be able to provide as much info on levant arabs or north african arabs. if there are any on here, feel free to reblog w more info !! )

dont get arabs mixed up w muslims. yes, a large portion of the arab population are muslim, but youd be surprised at the number of non-muslim arabs that exist. if you wanna write abt a muslim character, a post i made that might help is here 

list of arab countries, with the adjective:

algeria — algerian

bahrain — bahraini 

the comoros islands — comorans

djibouti — djiboutian

egypt — egyptian

iraq — iraqi

jordan — jordanian

kuwait — kuwaiti

lebanon — lebanese

libya — libyan

morocco — moroccan

mauritania — mauritanian

oman — omani

palestine — palestinian

qatar — qatari

kingdom of saudi arabia (ksa) — saudi

somalia — somali

sudan  — sudanese

syria — syrian

tunisia — tunisian

united arab emirates (uae) — emirati

yemen — yemeni

dialects/language:

dialects greatly differ—the egyptian dialect is the most common, followed closely by the levantine dialect

classic arabic is called fusha (fuss-ha), used in things like official documents, media, education. every arab knows it but its not used in day to day language except in media (all dialects basically come from fusha, but with slight changes)

'p' and 'g' (as in 'gurgle' or 'goal') dont exist in the arabic alphabet, theyre replaced with 'b' and 'j' 

depending on where theyre from, they may also learn a third language besides arabic and english (e.g. moroccans know french, a berber arab may know berber)

appearance:

arabs look different based on where theyre from. if theyre from the arabian peninsula, they have thick curly dark hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes. levant arabs are lighter skinned, and green/blue eyes are more common with them

adding on to previous point, arabs have a variety of skin tones, even if theyre siblings. using a real example, me and my older brother respectively look white passing and afro hispanic

dark irises are considered better looking than lighter colored eyes. eyes are usually thick-lashed, with big round slightly upturned eyes 

big noses are common, along with full lips (and hereditary dark circles for those with more tanned skin)

high cheekbones and well structured faces are also prevalent

culture:

varies depending on location

influenced by indian culture, IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH INDIAN CULTURE. that was aladdins mistake

poetry is so common, especially with romantic themes

songs also have romantic themes

youd be surprised at how romantic arabs are

dances vary extremely, from dabke (palestinean dance done in groups, consisting largely of leg/foot movements) to yola (emirati dance with battle origins, done using canes or fake guns) i recommend watching videos (tiktok has a lot of videos esp of dabke)

women also dance but you wont find a lot of videos of it bc its inappropriate

etiquette:

things such as giving someone your back, or facing the bottom of your feet towards someone are considered rude 

pda is also taboo (even with straight couples or even sometimes married couples)

cheek kisses are a common way of greeting, but not between genders

in some gulf countries, men greet each other with a nose kiss (not in an intimate way) just stubbing their noses against each other

genders do not mix at all. schools tend to divide girls and boys into two sections starting at a certain age (around age 10/11), and mosques are split into the mens side (usually larger than womens bc men use the mosque more)

having an extramarital relationship is very very taboo (even w hetero relationships) but it still happens. a lot. 

family dynamics (note that this is obviously a spectrum. this is the general dynamic, but obv it ranges from family to family):

NOT ALL OF US HAVE ABUSIVE PARENTS. sure theyll spank you if you skip school, but thats not necessarily abusive. its more strict, and youd be surprised at the amount of freedom some parents give their kids

yes, arranged marriages do happen. no, they arent necessarily forced, it just means that your parents had a hand in deciding who youll marry. yes, marrying cousins is a thing, but its much less prevalent now (also, ew)

fathers care. a lot. they dont show it, but they do. they also tend to joke around a lot

mothers tend to be the rule enforcers, and by far our moms are our best friends. we tell them EVERYTHING i swear 

aunties gossip a lot

uncles are a safety hazard

its not uncommon to have a large number of cousins (mainly bc arabs tend to have a lot of kids)

the average number of children 3 per woman, but from personal experience the older the generation the more kids (e.g. my great-grandmother had a whopping thirteen kids, my grandmother had seven, my mom has six, but a couple of my aunts only have one or two)

social class/work environment/school environment:

schools tend to be either arab curriculums but there is a high density of american/british curriculum schools

boys and girls tend to be separated in school around age nine/ten but some schools will be mixed genders up till graduation

yes, women work, tho admittedly some of them tend to have careers more than jobs (e.g. photographer, writer, etc while the men handle engineering, economics, etc)

no, not all of us are rich. in fact, countries like jordan, egypt, tunisia, morocco, and yemen (and infamously palestine) are acc struggling w poverty. its mainly just gulf arabs who are rich

furthermore, gulf arabs may be generally rich but a large chunk of them have the same lifestyle as an upper-middle class family in the usa. rich but not too rich. dont be fooled by the videos of guys wearing kandoras and driving lambos

speaking of kandoras...

outfits (keep in mind that spelling may vary since its all transliteration, and pronunciation may vary depending on region) (also keep in mind that even if we still live in the middle east, WE CAN WEAR JEANS AND HOODIES AND BAND SHIRTS. just, usually cover up more in public):

abaya: loose overgarment worn by women

jilbab/chandoor: also worn by women, type of long dress or tunic

the white robe all of yall know is known as a thobe, dishdasha, or kandora

the colored headscarf worn by men is known as a ghuthrain in the gulf, kevfiah in the levant. its kept in place with a black cord called a aghal, and under it they wear a skullcap called a thagiyah

those are the most common ones, however if youd like to get a lil more specific on clothong, the ultimate guide to arab clothing is here (it also has specified clothing for individual countries)

hope this helps, feel free to reblog w more info if you have any !!

#writing tips #writing arabs #arab #writer sources #writing help #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing advice

[motifcollector]

Rawda El-Haj, "Heart's Confessions," trans. Adil Babikir, in Modern Sudanese Poetry

#rawda el-haj #poetry #literature #currently reading #on love #fade into you

[bones-ivy-breath]

Mama by Safia Elhillo, from Home Is Not a Country

#quote #safia elhillo #mama #home is not a country #typography #aesthetic #dark academia #light academia #literature #original post #Sudanese poetry #poets of color #poetry #poem

[andrumedus]

Mohammed el-Makki Ibrahim, tr. & ed. Adil Babikir, Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology; from “The Green October” in “Songs for October”

[Text ID: The land is singing your green name, O October]

#literature #poetry #mohammed el-makki ibrahim #modern sudanese poetry: an anthology #soil we walk upon #typography #sudanese lit #m #x

[aamirflab]

Mohammed el-Fayturi, tr. & ed. Adil Babikir, Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology; “Yaaqut al-Arsh”

[sunnunderthesun]

We need to talk about Sudan and its poetry

Oh, German Hitler

Oh, Italian Mussolini

Your chair will never ever stay again

You are just like

a foreign piaster

with no value in our market

The above excerpt is the English rendition of the song famously sung by the Sudanese singer Aisha Musa Ahmad, during World War Two, to encourage active Sudanese soldiers fighting the Axis alliance in the hope of gaining independence from British rule.

It is only towards the end of the last decade, during the Sudanese revolution, that the Eurocentric mainstream news sources began to shine a light on Sudan’s centuries-old oral tradition of poems, songs, storytelling, and chants which have always been an integral part of the Sudanese people’s peaceful protests against any form of oppression. While the works of notable Sudanese writers like Tayeb Salih and Mahjoub Sharif have brought international recognition for Sudan's written literature since the latter half of the twentieth century, much of the nation's oral poetic battle cry of resistance, strength, and resilience still remains unheard of in most parts of the world.

When asked why the internet hardly has any English-translated Sudanese poems written before the present century, a staff of ArabLit informs me that not many poems from the early or even mid-20th century exist, especially online, as translations from Arabic to English was mainly an academic endeavour until recently.

My search for Sudanese folklore on Google brings up just a handful of websites, books, and social media channels focussing on, mostly, contemporary Sudanese diasporic poems and stories, translated into or written in English, but it’s too challenging to find an English-translated poem by a native Sudanese poet on the search engine’s high-ranking webpages that list “must-read poems” or “great war poems” of this century and earlier.

On some archival websites, fragmentary specimens of Sudanese folklore can be found in a couple of late twentieth-century research papers on Sudan’s oral tradition, the journal called Sudan Notes and Records that was started by the British imperialists in an attempt to gain more control of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and the racist memoir called My Sudan Year in which the cultural anthropologist Ethel Stefana Drower writes, The Sudanese is a rhymester rather than a poet. He makes rhymes and rhythms on every possible occasion, but, like all of Arab blood or partly Arab blood, he is seldom capable of producing lofty lyrical poetry. The boatmen, as they tug together at a rope, or pull their oars through the water, make chanteys, but these are rarely imaginative or poetical in the Western sense of the words.

I learn from a librarian at the Library of Congress that their only available digitalized collection of Sudanese poetry is not translated from Arabic to English. However, they couldn’t clearly tell me the reason behind the dearth of English translations of Sudanese folklore, especially the ones from over a hundred years ago, on the internet.

Efforts of individuals like Dr. James Dickens and the library activist Israa Abbas to preserve and promote recent Sudanese poems and songs, both in English and Arabic, may inspire the mainstream international literary publications, that also happen to be Western-centric, to consider publishing a powerful Sudanese poem or two sometime. Observing the educated masses' continued disregard for the ongoing destruction of lives and invaluable university archives in conflict-ridden Sudan, it’s hard to predict when the internet will show more cultural inclusivity.

#talk #free sudan #sudan genocide #eyes on sudan #finds