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.
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
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 macroons. |
