The Sudanese Writers Union was founded in
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
in 1985, the year that
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
was restored in
Sudan for a short period. The Union promotes dialogue and seeks solutions for conflicts in Sudan. It emphasizes
freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
within a multicultural society and tries to bring together writers of different cultural groups. The first secretary-general until 1986 was
Ali El-Maak.
[Elias Fath El Rahman. (2007) ''The Sudanese Writers Union. Building Democracy and Public Intellectual Culture''. In Prince Claus Fund Awards 2007. The Hague, p. 90–91. ]
History and political repression
In 1989, four years after the Union's founding, a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
took place, resulting in the organization being banned and expelled from the historic building in Khartoum. Members of the Union were arrested and tortured. It took until shortly after the signing of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005/06 that the union could be revived again. A year later, in 2007, the union again consisted of fifty members; some members were located within Sudan, while others lived in exile. Altogether it lasted twenty years until the organization was able in 2009 to reopen a settlement in the capital of Sudan. The same year, the union claimed back its building in Khartoum.
[Miraya (August 17, 2009]
''Sudanese Writers Union launches a new House after 20 years''
/ref>
In 2007, the Sudanese Writers Union was honored with a Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. The jury presented the award under the theme ''Culture and Conflict'' and praised the work of the union, stating that its members "''are working against huge odds to provide'' ''a Space of Freedom for debate."''
On 29 January 2015, the Sudanese Writers Union was dissolved again and its cultural activities banned by the Ministry of Culture of the government of Omar al-Bashir. At the end of 2016, an administrative court of appeal in Khartoum annulled the Ministry’s decision and ordered the security apparatus to return the Union’s property, as well as to allow them to resume their activities.
Key figures
Sudanese writer, translator, and scholar Ali El-Maak led the Union from its founding in 1985 through 1986.
See also
* Sudanese literature
* List of Sudanese writers
This is a list of prominent Sudanese writers.
Novelists and short story writers
* Leila Aboulela (born 1964)
* Fatin Abbas
* Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin (born 1963)
* Malkat Ed-Dar Mohamed (1920–1969)
* Bushra Elfadil (born 1952), also poet
* ...
References
{{Authority control
Sudanese literature
Sudan
Political organisations based in Sudan
Organizations established in 1985
1985 establishments in Sudan