Music of the Sudans
#SoundSundays
As a part of #SoundSundays, we’re energizing you all with sounds of the world! Whether this is music, slam poetry, or even dance routines, we’re transcending the boundaries of the world to bring you straight to others.
South Sudan is the world’s newest nation,
gaining it’s independence on July 9th, 2011.
South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is located in northeastern Africa, gaining its independence from Sudan after a bloody civil war. The current capital is Juba, which is its largest city, however, there are plans to change the capital city to the more centrally located Ramciel in the future. South Sudan is bordered by Sudan to the north, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. It includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd, formed by the White Nile and known locally as the Bahr al Jabal.
Sudan and South Sudan’s modern territories were occupied by Egypt under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, and later governed as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudanese independence was achieved in 1956. Following the first Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. A second Sudanese civil war soon developed and ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed.
South Sudan became an independent state on July 9th of 2011, following a referendum that passed with 98.83% of the vote. It is a United Nations member state, a member state of the African Union, of the East African Community, and of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. South Sudan also signed the Geneva Conventions in the July of 2012. South Sudan has suffered internal conflict since its independence and it has the highest score on the Fragile States Index.
South Sudanese culture as representation.
While culture may be more than just its language, food, and arts, typically, all that is communicated on face value speaks volumes. Some of the most unspeakable feelings and phenomena remain untold — their struggles too visceral to be grasped with just the written word.
It’s important to remember as diving into this topic, that the very visual arts are expressions of voice and livelihood — it’s a presentation of their values and not necessarily their values themselves. I implore you to research the plight of the South Sudanese in addition to appreciating some of the music that has come from them.
The struggle of the Sudanese and South Sudanese, is a very real and tragic one. The conflict has torn apart and weakened their communities. Long standing civil conflict in these regions is prolonged by religious differences; these differences are exploited by those in respective seats of political power, furthering the split between the North and the South.
It’s best to let their own music, and their own voices, do the talking.
South Sudan is steeped in a cultural history of music making.
As described by World Music:
Wayo’s unique debut album celebrates the joy of communal music-making. Trance Percussion Masters of South Sudan wasn’t made by a soloist, by a band, or even by an orchestra — this album was made by a village. In this village music is king and everyone is a master of their shared sound.
In this particular video, Wayo recorded their album in the outskirts of Juba, the capital of South Sudan. A melodious kpaningbo groove, a large wooden xylophone played by three villagers, is complimented by the rhythmic communal of chants. Atop the gugu, a log drum, sits another villager who alters the pitch by lifting his leg up and down. The abss drum, constructed from re-used material, and was once a plastic water container; these instruments and more, such as bells and other hand-drums, are passed around the community giving the pieces a uniqueness.
These are songs that are never played in the same way twice, playing instead to the hearts and emotions of the many who partake in the activity.
World Music continues their description:
The driving beats recall the haunting repetitions of minimalism and the trance-inducing club beats of contemporary electronica, while song topics tackle real concerns and provide commentary on social divisions. ‘Now You Are Like A European’ is a particularly revealing allusion to the return home of many Sudanese people who had previously been displaced by war.
The struggles faced by the Sudanese resurface in their music.
In the underlying tones of such communal music are the struggles that tie the members of the community together.
Faced with tragedy and the onset of war, the Sudanese peoples, in both the North and South, typically became survivors of these violent conflicts. South Sudan is still struggling to overcome huge difficulties just two years after its war of independence with the north. Almost two million people were killed in the war. Millions more were displaced. Many refugees of that war are now returning home and many are working toward aiding Sudan in its recovery; musicians such as Emmanuel Jal and Lual D’Awol, are doing their part to help spread messages of peace and reconciliation across the Sudanese countries. Born into the life of a child solider in the early 1980s, through unbelievable struggles, Jal has managed to survive, become a recording artist, and achieve worldwide acclaim with his unique style of hip hop.
“So one thing I know about music: music is the only thing that has power to enter your cell system, your mind, your heart, influence your soul and your spirit, and can even influence the way you live without even you knowing. Music is the only thing that can make you want to wake up your bed and shake your leg, without even wanting to do it. And so the power music has I normally compare to the power love when love doesn’t see a color. You know, if you fall in love with a frog, that’s it.”
Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese musician, former child soldier, and political activist. Jal has embraced the power of music and uses it to deal with the pain of his past. The battles child soldiers face is in no way independent to those of South Sudan, merely being the most recent in a number of violent struggles that exploit young children. His autobiography, War Child: A Child Soldier’s Story, was published in 2009.
The Republic of South Sudan’s growth as an independent nation is recent.
But, their communities persist despite what cultural bounds exist.
Artists such Lual D’awol reflect on the machinations within the Sudanese regions. In a series of pieces covering South Sudan’s independence, PRI spoke to Lual D’awol, recording some of his work in the linked audio embed:
A refugee, Lual D’Awol grew up Baltimore, Maryland listening to rap and reggae. With the philosophical and artistic influence of rappers like Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., and reggae artists like Bob Marley, Lual started rapping in 2010 and — since returning home to South Sudan — he has used his music to talk about the problems in his country.
“My stage name is L-U-A-L, which stands for Lyrically Untouchable African Legend. I just rap about a lot of the things that are going on in South Sudan politically, socially. I talk about corruption, I talk about tribalism, I talk about nepotism, I talk about all the -isms that are not going well in this nation and trying to expose them.” — Lual D’Awol
Beyond the Music
Artists, like Emmanuel Jal in particular, have created resources to help give to the Sudanese and South Sudanese communities.
LoveBusk
Artists such as Jal partake in an events known as LoveBusk. Describing themselves as, “a low-fi indie net festival with a big heart,” this physical site-less jam allows musicians and inspiring speakers to, “busk,” and interact — live — with their audience members. Artists from around the world, “busk,” for the groups they support, raising funds from user donations in the process.
JalGua
Jal Gua (meaning ‘walk in peace’ or ‘walk with power’) is an instant powder super food containing a blend of two staple African ingredients: sorghum and moringa. These ingredients are traditionally used to provide energy and nourishment to cattle farmers, field workers, working mothers and school children. Jal Gua is high in iron and an excellent source of Vitamin C, containing 7 essential nutrients: iron, copper, phosphorus, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, fiber and calcium. Jal Gua is made of organic ingredients. It is a gluten free product, processed naturally with no chemicals and no preservatives. You can read more about its health benefits here.
Gua-Africa
Gua Africa is an organisation founded by Jal that believes that giving everyone access to education will lead to an increase in individuals generating their own income and a more stable society.
Lose To Win
Lose to Win is a challenge created by Jal that motivates individuals to lose something in order to win for the greater good and make a positive change for the world at large.
We Want Peace (WWP)
We Want Peace (WWP) has a simple goal: To raise awareness on the fundamental principles of justice, equality, unification and conflict prevention, through the power of music, worldwide.
The Key is E
Founded by Emmanuel Jal & Paul Lindley, The Key Is E is a social business channeling the power of education, entrepreneurship and creativity to impact social change.
This #SoundSunday,
from spirituals and communal polyrhythms, to modern hip-hop and rap, partake in the musical culture and history that belongs to the Sudanese people:
Emmanuel Jal
We Want Peace
Warchild
Lose To Win
Lual D’Awol
Who’s Hot
Give Peace a Try feat. Nancy Chan
Hooriyah
Mer Ayang
South Sudanese
The name Mer means “peace” in Shilluk, one of the many languages spoken in South Sudan. With her songs, Mer Ayang calls on young people to take part in building their new nation.
Charles James “CJ” Oman
Shikil Binia De
So Beautiful
Charles James Oman is one of the few music businessmen in the country. He came from Khartoum, where he learned music in church and then started writing his own at age 13.
Al Tijani Haj Mousa
Alahd Aljadeed (“The New Era”)
“The New Era” (Alahd Aljadeed) is a song written by Al Tijani Haj Mousa, composed by Omer Ihsas and sponsored by UNAMID to promote peace in Darfur.
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