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- Convenors:
-
Ulrike Schultz
(Adventist University of Friedensau)
Mohamed Bakhit (University of Khartoum)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Perspectives on current crises
- Location:
- S40 (RW II)
- Sessions:
- Monday 30 September, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
In the proposed panel we would like to discuss migration processes triggerd by the outbreak of war in in Sudan by looking at the lives and the agency of people on the move and the way national governments and international stakeholders respond to it.
Long Abstract:
Sudanese people are confronted with insecurities, war and economic crisis for decades. They have responded to this by being mobile and creating translocal livelihoods. At the same time, Sudan has been a place where people from neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Eritrea or South Sudan have found refuge from political instability and economic crisis in their countries. With the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, the situation for many people in the region deteriorated dramatically. People left Khartoum to look for a safe place in neighboring countries or in rural areas in Central and Eastern Sudan. Moreover, the war in Sudan altered the migration policy not only of the neighboring countries but also of the European Union and International Organization. In the proposed panel we would like to look at the these processes by looking at the lives of people and their agency on the one side and on the way national governments, communities and international stakeholders respond to it.. We look for papers who address questions such as:
How do neighboring countries such as Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Uganda and Eritrea respond to the influx of refugees from Sudan? How does the European Union and national governments respond to these migration processes? How is the ‘refugee system’ affecting refugee populations’ experiences and identifications? How have NGOs’ policies and practices affected Sudanese refugees’ practices of settlement, self-identification, and planning for the future? How does Sudanese communities outside the war zone respond to the people on the move?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Monday 30 September, 2024, -Paper short abstract:
In Cairo, Sudanese women resist the 'refugee' label, feeling it erases their histories. This opposes the host nation's use for aid, sometimes urging unethical acts for support. My presentation emphasizes their refusal to be seen as passive, challenging the reductive refugee view.
Paper long abstract:
At the end of 2023, I was in Cairo doing follow-up research for my project. In my interaction with my female interlocutors, I sensed an aversion towards the label refugee. For them, refugee is “a shadow that masks [their] true essence". It symbolises passivity, dependence and the denial of one’s humanity. It signifies discrimination; contradicts their resilience and self-sufficiency but above all, their history. The women’s rejection of the label goes beyond semantics. They affirm their identity as women who have been active citizens in their country as teachers, activists, professors, etc. To be reduced to refugee downplays their complex subjectivity as well as their lingering sense of rootedness in what they once called home. There is also a monetary interest in constituting humans as refugees even when they refuse it. A close relative’s experience illuminates this. She was asked to falsely claim that she had been raped by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) so that she can get access to financial, psychological, and legal support. Because she is seen as a mere number among a desperate bunch of refugees, she is pressured to commit an unethical act. This imposition is informed by the view that a host country gets more financial support to host many refugees. In the presentation, I want to juxtapose the women’s resistance against the political economy of commodifying human suffering. In so doing, I challenge the political, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of refugee labeling and the perception of displaced people as passive and reducible to numbers.
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores the ways in which the Sudanese art scene expresses experiences of war and displacement. As a site of knowledge production and the (re-)building of transnational networks, these practices are an attempt to re-establish life and work under the constraints of displacement.
Paper long abstract:
After the fall of al-Bashir’s regime in 2019, the marginalised Sudanese arts community underwent a transformation, evolving into a thriving scene. New galleries and community art centres emerged in the capital, shaping public life. However, the outbreak of war in April 2023 led to a mass exodus of artists and curators to neighbouring countries. In response to these experiences of violence, loss, and displacement, the artists utilised various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, photographs, and music to document their ordeals. This artistic response served as a means to heal the wounds of war and convey the distressing experiences of individuals affected by displacement.
Sudanese artists have also engaged in discussions about the role of arts in the revolution and its aftermath, highlighting the impact of art on displaced communities and vice versa. Furthermore, contemporary art has addressed the theme of displacement, depicting the barriers and challenges faced by those affected by war and forced migration. These artistic endeavours not only serve as a means for the artists to process their experiences but also create testimonies of the war.
Despite being scattered across several countries, curators and artists have begun to establish support networks, create new art spaces, and organise exhibitions. In this paper, the focus will be on discussing artistic practices as a site of knowledge production and community building by examining emerging networks in Egypt, Kenya, and Uganda. This will involve tracing the evolution of the art scene and discussing the challenges of (re-)building life in exile.