Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah Al Khater and Chairperson of Qatar Museums H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani attending the conference.
Doha: Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) yesterday opened its Hiwaraat conference season with a well-attended gathering centred on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
The three-day conference themed “Seeing Sudan: Politics through Art” is aimed at offering an alternative approach to the ongoing situation by creating a historic gathering of Sudanese creatives to call attention to the crisis through other means. The opening event, which was graced by the presence of the Chairperson of Qatar Museums H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah Al Khater, commenced with a focus on addressing the ongoing tragedy in Sudan.
During the opening remarks, Dr. Rogaia Abusharaf, a Sudanese professor at GU-Q, emphasized the role of artists in shaping Sudan’s political awareness, stating, “‘Seeing Sudan’ embodies our endeavour to explore the essence of a nation… The Sudanese populace has been engaged in relentless struggles for survival for many years, and any hopes for even a hint of normalcy have been systematically obliterated.
GU-Q Dean Safwan Masri added, “At a world-leading school of foreign service, art rightfully claims its place as one of the languages of diplomacy. It is why this conference finds its natural home not only at our university but also in Doha, a cosmopolitan city long defined by the cultural richness of its diaspora.”
From left: GU-Q Dean Safwan Masri, Zeinab Badawi, Nesrine Malik, Dr. Rashid Diab and Khalid Albaih during the panel discussion at the event. Pics: Ahmed Barakat / The Peninsula
Prominent Sudanese creatives, whose works confront the misrepresentations surrounding the crisis, participated in the keynote panel led by Dean Masri.
Zeinab Badawi, a renowned BBC broadcaster, president of SOAS College of London, and author of An African History of Africa, set the event’s tone by urging the audience to remember that “Sudan today is not how it always was... it was once a regional superpower.” She invoked Sudan’s long-standing history of enlightened civilization as a beacon, stating, “We cannot allow the forces who are trying to quell these miraculous individuals to be victorious.”
Joining Badawi on stage were prolific political cartoonist and GU-Q Artist-in-Residence Khalid Albaih, multidisciplinary artist and art historian Dr. Rashid Diab, and journalist and author Nesrine Malik. They engaged in a discussion on the question: What does it mean to see Sudan truthfully in an age of distraction and denial? Their insights revealed the disparity between perception and reality, highlighting how the ongoing disaster not only devastates lives but also distorts narratives of identity, history, and hope.
The evening concluded with a poignant performance by Sudanese singer Alsarah and Palestinian musician Huda Asfour, whose reinterpretation of music from Sudan’s revolutionary past served as a reminder that the arts can foster solidarity and inspire action when politics falter.
At a time when the international community risks normalizing the urgent crisis in Sudan through apathy, Seeing Sudan: Politics through Art emphasizes that the narratives of the Sudanese people will not be muted. The conference will take place over the next two days, urging scholars, artists, and the public to face not only the harsh realities of the present but also the obligation to envision a just future.
On Friday, the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha will host panel discussions focused on global artistic and intellectual contributions, leading up to the inauguration of the Sudan Retold exhibition at Alhosh Gallery on the Pearl, which will be accessible to the public until September 28. The discussions will reconvene at the Four Seasons on Saturday, uniting reporters, anthropologists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers, and will conclude with a forward-looking panel titled “Reimagining Sudan.”
