“Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art” Conference Kicks Off

The “Seeing Sudan: Politics through Art” conference, organized by Georgetown University in Qatar, kicked off on Saturday, 20 September, 2025.

The conference was attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums; Her Excellency Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, Minister of Education and Higher Education; and His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Ali bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of the Media City Board of Directors.

The three-day event also featured a number of academics, creatives, and media professionals.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Rogaia Abusharaf, Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, highlighted the conference’s role in highlighting the contributions of artists to Sudanese political awareness.

For his part, Dr. Safwan Al Masri, Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar, emphasized the university’s role in restoring art to its status as a language of diplomacy, highlighting Doha’s global reach and its cultural richness and diversity.

In the conference’s main session, moderated by Dr. Safwan Al-Masry, journalist Zeinab Badawi, President of the University of Oriental and African Studies in London and author of “African History: An African Perspective,” spoke about Sudan’s long history of enlightened civilization as a guiding light for identity and hope.

The discussion also included Khaled Al-Baih, cartoonist and artist-in-residence at Georgetown University in Qatar; visual artist Dr. Rashed Diab; and journalist and writer Nisreen Malik.

The event concluded with a moving performance by Sudanese singer Al-Sara and Palestinian musician Huda Asfour.

Panel discussions on global artistic and intellectual production will be held, and the exhibition “Retelling Sudan’s Tales” will open at Al-Hosh Gallery on the Pearl’s shores.

The exhibition is open to the public daily until September 28. The event will conclude on Saturday with a panel discussion on Saturday “Reimagining Sudan.”