Sudanese Voices in Scotland: Mobilizing Global Solidarity, Breaking Isolation
Cairo -Sudanhorizon – Sabah Moussa
The Scottish city of Glasgow has been the scene of the “Sudanese Voices” event over the past two days. This exceptional cultural celebration of Sudanese art and heritage, held in the heart of Scotland, saw wide participation from members of the Sudanese community and international supporters. Its aim was to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan and to collect donations to support relief efforts within the country.
The event was hosted by a major non-profit art space, a volunteer-run organization run by the Global Majority, reflecting its values of solidarity and community service. The event featured a diverse cultural program including short film screenings, panel discussions, poetry readings, live music performances, an art exhibition, a crafts market, and networking sessions interspersed with musical interludes.
All ticket proceeds and donations were donated 100% to the Sudan Fund and Women for Sustainable Development – Sudan, two organizations working on the ground to provide mutual humanitarian assistance within Sudan.
The event wasn’t just about raising funds; it successfully created a safe and inclusive space that celebrated diversity and cultural exchange, free from discrimination. The event began with a traditional Sudanese lunch and continued into the evening, highlighting the role of art and culture as tools for resilience and building bridges between peoples during times of crisis. It achieved remarkable success in strengthening international solidarity with the Sudanese people and affirmed that culture can be a powerful human bridge connecting societies even in the darkest of circumstances.
Mahasin Ahmed, the event organizer—a Scottish woman of Sudanese origin—told Sudanhorizon News website that the goal was to raise awareness within the local community about the situation in Sudan and give people an opportunity to discover its culture and resistance.
She added that she had noticed a plethora of events supporting other global causes in Glasgow, while discussions about Sudan were almost entirely absent, emphasizing that many people are unaware of the scale of the events unfolding there.
The event organizer expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming response, noting that many attendees confirmed they had learned new information and felt a genuine motivation to help.
She said the event contributed to strengthening the Sudanese community’s sense of solidarity and support, and even the formation of new friendships. She added that she had visited Sudan only three times, the last time being in 2014, but she carries strong memories of the generosity of its people and her sense of belonging despite not being fluent in Arabic at the time. She continued that her connection to Sudan increased after the revolution, especially with most of her father’s family being there, which made her follow events with concern and seek to understand what was happening in order to help as much as possible.
She explained that she rediscovered her roots in parallel with Sudanese friends in Scotland, and visited her family in Cairo after they moved there in 2023, stressing that listening to the experiences of displacement and human suffering was painful and an additional motivation to work.
Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=11269