Sudan - people & society
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Fur woman from North Sudan |
There are more than 300 tribes in Sudan, including Danagla, Gaalien,
and Shaigia in the north; Bija in the east; Kababish, Humar, Nuba,
Baggara, and Fur in the west; and Dinka, Newir, and Skeluk in the
south. The people come from numerous different ethnic backgrounds,
mainly Arab in the north, and African in the south.
About 60 per cent of the population are Muslim, 25 per cent are
animist, and 15 per cent Christian.
Arabic is the official language, but there are more than 100 tribal
languages, many of which are spoken by large numbers of people.
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Men from South Sudan
Photo: Jenny Matthews/Oxfam |
In the dry north and west, most people are pastoralists, depending
on livestock for their living, and often living a nomadic lifestyle.
Further south, where there is sufficient rainfall, more people are
settled farmers.
Each year, large numbers of men leave their families to work as
labourers in cities, on commercial farms, or overseas, leaving many
women at home, looking after their families and farms alone. Hundreds
of thousands of people have had to leave their homes because of
war or drought, and many are living in camps around Khartoum and
other big towns.
Arts and crafts
Many crafts are available in Sudan’s souks (markets). Strings
of heavy beads often include antique trading beads made from coloured
glass. The traditional wraps in bright, printed cotton, worn by
women, are mostly imported. Many traders make their goods in the
marketplace: old tin cans are cut and soldered into cooking pans
and lamps; tailors make up the loose white gowns worn by men; and
leather is punched and stitched into bags and saddles for
donkeys and camels.
Sport
Football is the most popular sport in Sudan. Even in remote villages
in the desert, children gather together for a game. Sudan won the
African Cup of Nations back in 1970, but has not been so successful
in recent years.
Music
Sudan’s "whirling dervishes" are famed throughout
the world for their spell-binding dances, in which they are accompanied
by rhythmic drumming, as they gradually work themselves into a trance.
Dervishes are Muslim devotees.
Popular music has had a rather chequered history in recent years,
with many artists becoming exiles after the government stamped down
on their freedom to perform. Lyrics are all-important in Sudanese
music, with new words often made up on the spot for a special occasion
such as a wedding. Traditional instruments include tom-toms, rababas
(viol-like stringed instruments with a hide-covered body), and the
oud (a lute).
Food and drink
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Each day, Suad Kasham bakes
250 flat breads to sell in her village |
Sudanese people are very hospitable. Meals are eaten around a large,
communal tray on which various meat, vegetable, salad, and sauce
dishes are placed. These are eaten with the right hand, using flat
bread or a stiff millet porridge known as asida or kisra.
The strong Sudanese coffee is served from a special tin ‘jug’
with a long spout, known as a jebena. The coffee is sweet and often
spiced with ginger or cinnamon, and is drunk from tiny cups or glasses.
Fruit teas and herbal teas such as kakaday (hibiscus tea) are also
popular.
Most people seem to have a very sweet tooth, piling several teaspoons
of sugar into their cups of tea, and enjoying sugary desserts.
Peanuts, known as Ful-Sudani, are a popular snack, and can be made
into delicious macaroons.
A story from Sudan
The dog, the goat and the donkey
Introduction ||
History || Geography
& Environment
People & Society || Factfile
|| Oxfam in Sudan ||
Other resources Photos: Toby Adamson /Oxfam
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