The Sudan Day

On Saturday April 3rd 2010, the Sudanese American Association (SAS) opened it's ever biggest Sudan's Day annual festival with support of the Conflict Resolution Club of the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The event featured a number of exhibitions, which took place in the main hallway-corridor of the Institute's building. A number of panel talks started at 10:00 am followed by a costume show, a film show, and the day was concluded by a live concert in the main auditorium of the Institute. The event witnessed a large and a diverse audience from the Bay Area and its various educational institutions and continued throughout the day; from 10 am to 10 pm.

The exhibition building, Monterey, CA.

Entering from the main entrance, the visitor of the exhibition faces a wide collection of folk arts including the distinctive Northern Sudanese leather works and basketry as well as hand-made wooden artworks from Southern Sudan.

On a long table to the right of the entrance is a wide variety of traditional Sudanese food and drink products; each neatly organized in sample-size glass bottle for display. Products included sesame, gum Arabic, Sorghum, and some local herbs such as Harjal and Maharaib. Next to the food sample collection is a wide variety of Southern Sudanese exotic animal carvings; notable among these were a rhino, a crocodile, and a lion.

Exhibited on a table to the left of the entrance, are more food products arranged in their special sample-glass bottles and some kept in traditional basket plates. These include local sorghum juice named Hilomour, some toasted watermelon seeds Tasali, in addition to ceder seeds Nabag, Tabaldy tree fruits Gongolaiz, dates, and a wide variety of spices.

Prof. Hamdan Goumaa

Large-size photographs mostly showing urban scenes from Khartoum, were exhibited in special easels aligned across the walls and extending all the way to the back of the hallway where two additional art shows were held. One of the art shows was an abstract photography show held by a Sudanese photographer and a SAS member, showing a unique photography and print production gallery. The other show featured digital and hand-drawn artwork project that links between historical information and a cultural legacy concerning the history of ancient Kush, as drawn from Biblical and Quranic sources. A video projector show featured a wide variety of video clips about Sudan's culture and history.

President of the community, Mohamed Osman made opening remarks. The panel talks then discussed the current socio-political and economic conditions in Sudan focusing on major problems and future prospects. The panels were held at the auditorium by a group of Sudanese scholars and experts with attendance of the MIIS students and faculty together with the Sudanese community and guests. Topics discussed included the Sudan's current political situation, the upcoming elections, the referendum by the Southerners, and the Darfur crises. Social issues such as the women role in both war and peace times were presented by female community members.

From 7-10 am, a live concert displaying music from all regions in Sudan was held by a Sudanese band; the music was delightful and joyful and attended by a large audience of Sudanese and their guests.