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Friday, 29 March 2024

Rhythm and rights return to Sudan's streets

Duration: 02:22s 0 shares 5 views

Rhythm and rights return to Sudan's streets
Rhythm and rights return to Sudan's streets

After three decades of strict rule under Omar al-Bashir, Sudan is enjoying a cultural explosion and an easing of constraints on women - but some say the social changes are not going far enough.

Nneka Chile reports.

In a dimly lit car park in Khartoum, Anita Saimon and her all-female dance troupe are practicing their moves.

But just a year ago, this impromptu rehearsal could have had dire consequences.

Under former President Omar al-Bashir, just the fact that Anita and the other dancers are wearing trousers could have seen them flogged.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DANCER WITH VOICE OF NUBA TROUPE, ANITA SAIMON, SAYING: "Before the revolution our shows were inside specific, suitable venues, during events, or things like that.

But now that there's freedom we're practicing in parking lots, we've started to work normally without any restrictions." Bashir's three decades in power were marked by stringent social and religious rules.

But since he was overthrown in April, the country's morality police have melted away.

In November, authorities repealed a notorious public order law used to impose conservative Islamic social codes.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MUSICIAN, SOMEYA SALAH, SAYING: "We understand that change won't happen tomorrow because of the revolution, it will take time.

But what's new after the revolution is that there is hope." Many women say they can now wear what they want and there's been an explosion in artistic expression.

Music producer Mohamed Abdulaziz says genres such as hip hop and rap - previously seen as subversive - have flourished.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MUSIC PRODUCER, MOHAMED ABDULAZIZ, SAYING: "Revolution, change, freedom, our rights, our duty towards our country, and how we will build it.

There are new and rich topics.

So it helped a lot, and started increasing amongst musicians." But some say the social changes are shallow; restrictive laws remain in place and women, who helped lead the uprising are still under-represented.

Activists complain that legislation underlying the public order law has not yet been repealed and that women are not protected from sexual harassment or rape.

And they say progress is uncertain under a power sharing deal between civilian groups and the military.

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