A need for Peace

Abdulaziz Ali Omer
In Gedaref state, In the Department of Culture and Information, In an early July morning, I looked at the dust-encrusted ceramic under my feet. It seemed that no one had swept the floor or everybody went on leave or became reclusive because of flaring war in Khartoum and Darfur , but it was an official working day. To my astonishment, the pale morning light revealed an open room filled with young blood drawing and painting in a festival of joy exposing their promising talents. The office of Mohamed Alfatah, the Cultural Affairs Director was closed. I met him for the first time once while I was about to borrow books from the library of Nirvana Cultural Foundation and appeared interested in enlisting my support for news website for the Ministry of Culture of Gedaref. Through him , I could resume my relationship with Muawad Rashid, the former editor of Sudan Vision . I feasted my eyes on the splendid paintings on the external walls: birds flying over a tree a symbol of migration away from home, an aspect of folk dances and a memorial portrait of Araki who is a pioneer of media photography in Gedaref. The drawing of a warrior from Beja tribe indicating the way with a notice that says” From here” is magnificent . The mural paintings are one of the achievements of G.Artistic Group which has organized workshop for the Youth to practice painting under the auspices of experts. A Part of the Culture and Information building is devoted as an exhibition of artworks. It’s unfair to let the war in our country continue and to imagine such a place- a carnival of future that discloses its self-fall as victim to bombing and the beautiful colors disappears among the building rubble. Any bullet is impregnated with the smell of powder and the stink of hatred. So we need these fragrant breezes wafting off art halls from artists trying to spread hope, love and to express their optimism and remind us of the victory of human will. In the aftermath of war in Sudan, the fate of education is an issue of concern and outside the Information Ministry, young people asked me about the dead-line for Sudan School Certificate, and I could determine any ultimate date as the reply relies on realizing comprehensive stability in Sudan and this requires the success of negotiations that guarantees permanent cease-fire and serious political dialogue to resolve all crises in the country. The collapse of education is a much feared as any fracture around the pelvic zone. It is all our hope that employees get their salaries, students returns to universities, schools displaced families leave classrooms and get repatriated to their homes to sip coffee and smell incense as they did before in peace.