Diversity Management in Rashid Diab Forum

Rashid Diab Arts Center, sponsored by the Kenana Sugar Company Ltd., discussed in its periodic forum at its headquarters in the suburb of Al-Juraif, “Diversity Management”, in which Professor Muhammad Ahmed Jawar, a researcher in the field of music, spoke, while the session was moderated by Dr. Rashid Diab, in the presence of a large number of interested people.

At the beginning, Professor Muhammad Ahmed Jawar shed lights on the concept of cultural diversity in Sudan, pointing out that Sudan abounds with diverse tribes, races and ethnicities, adding that Sudan’s open borders with a number of neighboring countries created another type of overlap with other nationalities and peoples from those countries. He believes that colonialism itself had fed this diversity.

Professor Jawar went on to focus on the technical aspect related to singing, and he said, according to many researchers in this field, that Al-Haqiba songs was of a special industry, and that prior to Al-Haqiba people used to sing harvest and marital songs, pointing out that Al-Haqiba songs during that period had nothing to do with political situation, but were solely expressive love for a woman. He said that after the appearance of television, a rift among people grew and a sense of injustice and inferiority occurred, and thus the cleavage of disharmony among the people of the country widened.

Accordig to Jawar, the rift had increased even more after people were exposed to Egyptian series on Sudan TV, which cast a shadow even on the life of society and new cultures emerged manifested in clothes and cuisine. he said that rhythm – the bamboo rhythm, “ashraa baladi” rhythm, and other beats are also alien to Sudan. He pointed out that the imbalance in managing diversity in the country created many problems in the components of the Sudanese people.

Prof. Jawar compared the role of the Sudanese artist with that of other countries, saying that the artist in other countries plays a greater role within the community circles than his  Sudanese counterpart. He noted that vocalists in Sudan tend to be referred to as “good for nothing”,  a misconception that has become a stereotype in the minds of various people. Prof. Jawar demanded that the cultural attachés abroad play a greater role in defining the cultural, tribal, ethnic, and ethnic diversity in Sudan, and thus introduce Sudanese diverse culture through distributing opportunities for foreign participation.  He concluded that singers such as Muhammad Othman Wardi, Othman Hussein, Al-Kashif, and others played a great role in establishing virtuous values, customs, and traditions, which he deems necessary to know the other person and his culture.

For his part, Dr. Rashid Diab said that cultural diversity is a degree of patriotism and belonging to Sudan. However, Diab noted that the problem lies in how to find a way to bring together all the components of the conscience of the Sudanese people, demanding in this regard that civil society organizations and official bodies play a greater role in mending the social fabric of the disparate parties.

Eventually, singer Hamad Al-Bably performed several songs that were greeted with admiration by the audience.