“The Rabbit of the Kineeta, You Rogues! Where Did You Spend the Night?”

Adil Al-Rifai Abulhassan
In Kordofan, the beginning of the rainy season is known as al-Rashash (the first showers), and with it comes the revival of hunting trips that have been passed down through generations. Hunters set out in the morning with their hunting dogs, each carrying a safrouq, a traditional hunting implement, as they search for rabbits hiding in the grass and darting away from their pursuers. Our Bederiya people have a rich hunting heritage, with stories and proverbs that preserve the local community’s experience and cheerful sense of humour.
From Hunting to Popular Humour
Hunting has its own local vocabulary. Some people say qaniseen (going hunting), while others use maqargirjeen to describe setting out on a hunt. The area a rabbit chooses to hide in is called the kineeta, while the specific spot where it sleeps within that area is known as the qarmoot. Local names for a male rabbit also vary: in some areas, it is called al-kaw, while elsewhere it is known as al-tareer abu ghurra.
Using the safrouq requires speed and skill in aiming. Experienced hunters have summed up their knowledge in the following popular proverb:
“If the safrouq hits, it is a weapon; if it misses, it is just a stick that has gone to waste.”
When a hunter misses a rabbit, he says hafa (missed). One of his companions then teases him, saying: “May your hands keep missing! Haven’t you tasted its jarba at home?”
Jarba is a dish prepared from rabbit meat, usually with roasted, ground peanuts—known as dakwa—added towards the end of cooking. And this is where the humour lies: how can you miss the rabbit when you know the taste of its meat and the deliciousness of the jarba you enjoy at home?
But the most famous expression used to describe the elusive rabbit is:
“Rabbit of the kineeta, you rogues! Where did you spend the night?”
It is a question of reproach and bewilderment: where did the rabbit sleep, and how did it escape its pursuers? Although hunters know where rabbits are generally found, identifying a particular rabbit’s exact sleeping place is no easy task. Thus, the rabbit leaves the hunters baffled, unsure where they will find it the following day.
From Kordofan’s Hunting Heritage to the Political Habits of Those in Power
Here the political meaning emerges. If a rabbit, renowned for its evasiveness and ability to conceal itself, can leave hunters perplexed about where it spends the night, what are we to make of a politician, whose positions and direction should presumably be much clearer? Do people not have the right to know his political kineeta—where he stands, what he supports and where he is heading?
In Sudan’s political arena, ambiguous statements and positions sometimes emerge, raising more questions than they answer. At a time of grave national peril, words are not merely passing remarks. They can affect public confidence and national cohesion, adding to the confusion rather than clarifying the situation.
The expectation is not that politicians should agree on everything. Differences of opinion and a diversity of approaches are integral to political life. Exchanging views enriches debate, allows ideas to be scrutinised, and helps sound judgements prevail, paving the way for more effective policies.
But there is a difference between clearly expressed differences of opinion and ambiguous rhetoric that leaves people asking: What does its author really want? Where does he stand? And where is he headed?
Differences of opinion can be a source of strength, whereas ambiguity breeds confusion and undermines trust. A politician has no right to turn his position into a riddle or leave his people guessing where he intends to spend the night politically.
Not Every Politician Is a Statesman
Holding office does not make someone a statesman, and issuing frequent statements does not necessarily demonstrate vision or wisdom. A statesman places the national interest above personal ambitions and narrow calculations, weighing his words and positions by their impact on the country’s security, unity, and the future of its generations.
A politician may be preoccupied with winning a round of political contest or pleasing his supporters. A statesman, however, looks beyond immediate gains and asks himself: Does this position serve Sudan? Does it strengthen national cohesion or deepen divisions? Does it open a path to a solution, or make an already complicated situation even harder?
The more challenging the circumstances become, the greater the need for clear positions, disciplined statements and consistency between words and deeds. Sudan, facing challenges that will shape its destiny, does not need more ambiguity and political manoeuvring. It needs responsible discourse and statesmen who understand that responsibility is not simply something spoken about, but something demonstrated through conduct and translated into action.
Sudan’s Politicians: Where Do You Spend the Night Politically?
The popular question now moves from the hunting ground to the political arena:
“Rabbit of the kineeta, you rogues! Where did you spend the night?”
The question is now directed at politicians: Sudan’s politicians, where do you spend the night politically? What is your clear position? And where are your statements and decisions leading the country?
What is required of a politician is not that he agree with everyone on everything, but that he be clear about his position, accountable for his words and aware that differences of opinion and the exchange of views enrich debate and help produce sound judgements and more effective policies that serve the national interest.
History keeps its records; future generations will pass judgement, and both the present and the future will bear witness to what public officials do for their country—not merely to what they say.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=19018