It is not surprising that music flourishes again in Sudan, which has always been strongly present in the cultural and political scene, and provided an idea of ​​this African country to the world.

In the middle of the last century, Sudanese music was among the most vibrant, diverse and influential music genres in the world.

After the independence of Sudan in 1955, the old traditions and new political aspirations merged, paving the way for the country to live a golden age.

The British Middle East Eye website said that Sudanese melodies and the most famous artists were appreciated and respected in most parts of the continent, and this was especially the case in the so-called Sudanese Cultural Belt, an area that stretches all the way from Djibouti to The Horn of Africa to Mauritania in the northwest.

But this glory did not last long. In 1983 during the era of President Jaafar Nimeiri, the country's music scene suffered its first setback, and after Omar al-Bashir came to power in 1989, the songs of the sixties and seventies were subjected to a systematic process of obliteration and absence as music became a propaganda tool, and many of them were exposed. Musicians harassed and oppressive practices.

In recent years, some initiatives have emerged to revive the Sudanese musical heritage, especially in the wake of the revolution that toppled Al-Bashir in April 2019, including the "Voices from Sudan" project, which was launched in 2018 with the aim of archiving the musical heritage in Sudan and keeping it from being lost.

"Generally speaking, Sudanese music has not been well documented, and archiving music is not only vital to the Sudanese musical heritage, but it also gives us a better idea of ​​the lives of people in Sudan and their way of thinking in the past, and it allows us to learn about the musical capabilities of the Sudanese people," says Hatem Al-Ajil, founder of the project. .

During recent years, some initiatives have appeared to revive the Sudanese musical heritage, especially after the revolution (Al-Jazeera)

Al-Ajeel archive includes the following five songs that characterize Sudan's golden age in the 30 years that followed independence.

My love, write to me, Ibrahim Al-Kashef

Ibrahim Al-Kashef - nicknamed the legitimate father of the art of modern singing - was born in Sudan at the beginning of the twentieth century in the city of Waddudni, the capital of Gezira State in central Sudan.

Al-Kashef emerged in the wake of what is known as bag music, a traditional style that developed in Sudan during the 1920s and 1930s, and helped lay the foundations for modern Sudanese music.

The lyrics of the song "Habibi Write to Me" - one of Al-Kashef's most famous songs - are taken from a poem written by the son of his country, Abed Abdel Rahman, according to the "Voices from Sudan" project, which translated the lyrics.

Al-Ajil points out that Sudanese music before Al-Kashef’s emergence relied on a few musical instruments, and he was credited with introducing new instruments, such as the violin, which played an important role in the development of the Sudanese orchestra.

This song, along with many others, contributed to Kashif becoming one of the best Sudanese singers in the pre-independence period.

“Oh my country,” Mr. Khalifa

Born in 1928 near Khartoum, Syed Khalifa is one of the most famous singers and composers in the golden age of Sudanese music, and he became one of the first Sudanese singers to receive an academic music education, after he won a scholarship to study at the famous Arab Music Institute in Cairo in 1947.

Khalifa used classical Arabic and the Sudanese dialect in his songs, and thanks to the Egyptian media, his powerful voice echoes throughout the Arab world.

Among his most famous works is the song "Ya Watani", which is considered one of the most popular patriotic songs in Sudan, and it is one of the musical pieces he composed during the independence of Sudan and which made him famous.

This song glorifies the homeland, and through it Khalifa declares his devotion to Sudan, no matter how far away, "in my presence I want you, and in my absence."

Despite its patriotic nature, this song was banned as soon as Al-Bashir took power in Sudan, but Khalifa escaped from prison due to his advanced age and fame.

"The Child of the Third World," Mustafa Sayed Ahmed

Mustafa Syed Ahmed was born in Gezira State in central Sudan, and he is one of the most famous Sudanese singers and composers.

Like other artists of his time, he was a committed and politically active musician, and he devoted many of his songs to his country's issues such as social justice, equal rights, and the struggle against military dictatorship.

Ahmed - who died at the age of 43 years - left Sudan in 1989 to receive medical treatment in Russia, but he never returned to his country, but rather moved to Egypt, then settled in Qatar where he spent his last days and composed a number of songs that talk about the pain of alienation. His songs embodied his preoccupation with social justice issues.

The song's lyrics talk about the lack of opportunities for third world children and poor living conditions.

"Whoever asks what has gone wrong", Al-Bulbul Band

The Nightingale Ensemble is one of the most popular bands in the country, as it consists of 3 Sudanese sisters of Nubian origin, Amal, Hadiya and Hayat Talisman.

The sisters were born in Omdurman, and their journey began in 1971, when composer and oud player Bashir Abbas asked them to join a folkloric group.

The great success of the band is attributed to the resonant voices, distinctive performances, beautiful dresses and wonderful songs presented by the trio, while being careful not to raise political issues in the lyrics of their songs.

Amal, Hadiya, and Hayat have become icons of Sudanese women, as they have achieved wide spread despite the conservative nature of Sudanese society.

The song "Who Asks What Has Touwa" composed by Abbas is the band’s first song, and its title is inspired by an Arabic saying, and its romantic lyrics tell the story of the beloved’s waiting.

"Hand over the keys to the country," Muhammad Wardi

Muhammad Ouardi hails from the Nubian city of Wadi Halfa, which is located in northern Sudan near the border with Egypt, and Ouardi is among the most influential singers, poets and activists during the country's golden age.

In the fifties of the last century, Ouardi settled in Khartoum, the city that made his fame after he began his artistic career, and the Nubian singer also became one of the most famous Sudanese musicians abroad, where he was very popular.

Ouardi's artistic career is closely linked to his political activity, and he has always been subjected to arrest and imprisonment, and his songs were sometimes subject to ban and marginalization.

It seems that this song is directed at Al-Bashir himself, as its lyrics are clearly critical of the regime: “Deliver our abayas and our tabernacles / our Qur’ans and our rosaries / the heritage of our ancestors / the minds of our children / our dreams.” Humiliation and hunger, "and the song asks," Will you fight where are you two bloodstained hands? "," And to you the people are bored and bound. "

As if these words predict the current situation in the country, the song was revived during the December 2018 uprising that toppled Al-Bashir, prompting the Sudanese artist Zoueta to produce a popular version of the song with a modern touch.

During the protests that erupted in Sudan two years ago, artists revived many songs of the golden age.