For the music of South Sudan that was part of Sudan until 2011, see South Sudan Culture.
Famous singer Mohammed al Amin and his bandSudanese national anthem, performed by the U.S. Navy Band
The rich and varied music of Sudan has traditional, rural, northeastern African roots[1] and also shows Arabic, Western or other African influences, especially on the popular urban music from the early 20th century onwards. Since the establishment of big cities like Khartoum as melting pots for people of diverse backgrounds, their cultural heritage and tastes have shaped numerous forms of modern popular music.[2] In the globalized world of today, the creation and consumption of music through satellite TV or on the Internet is a driving force for cultural change in Sudan, popular with local audiences as well as with Sudanese living abroad.
Even after the secession of South Sudan in 2011, the Sudan of today is very diverse, with five hundred plus ethnic groups spread across the territory of what is the third largest country in Africa. The cultures of its ethnic and social groups have been marked by a complex cultural legacy, going back to the spread of Islam, the regional history of the slave trade and by indigenous African cultural heritage. Though some of the ethnic groups still maintain their own African language, most Sudanese today use the distinct Sudanese version of Arabic.
Due to its geographic location in Africa, where African, Arabic, Christian and Islamic cultures have shaped people's identities, and on the southern belt of the Sahel region, Sudan has been a cultural crossroads between North, East and West Africa, as well as the Arabian Peninsula, for hundreds of years. Thus, it has a rich and very diverse musical culture, ranging from traditional folk music to Sudanese popular urban music of the 20th century and up to the internationally influenced African popular music of today.
Despite religious and cultural objections towards music and dance in public life, musical traditions have always enjoyed great popularity with most Sudanese. Apart from singing in Standard Arabic, the majority of Sudanese singers express their lyrics in Sudanese Arabic, thereby touching the feelings of their national audience as well as the growing number of Sudanese living abroad, notably in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. Even during times of wide-ranging restrictions of public life imposed by the government, public concerts or the celebration of weddings and other social events with music and dance have always been part of cultural life in Sudan.[3]
^"Traditional music in Africa". Music in Africa. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^Sikainga, Ahmad (2012), "A short history of Sudanese popular music", in Ryle, John; Willis, Justin; Baldo, Suliman; Madut Jok, Jok (eds.), The Sudan Handbook (digital ed.), London: Rift Valley Institute, pp. 243–253, ISBN 9781847010308
The rich and varied musicofSudan has traditional, rural, northeastern African roots and also shows Arabic, Western or other African influences, especially...
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west...
culture of South Sudan encompasses the religions, languages, ethnic groups, foods, and other traditions of peoples of the modern state of South Sudan, as...
South Sudan (/suːˈdɑːn, -ˈdæn/), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in eastern Central Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia...
The history ofSudan refers to the territory that today makes up Republic of the Sudan and the state of South Sudan, which became independent in 2011...
Port Sudan (Arabic: بور سودان, romanized: Būr Sūdān, Beja: Bar'uut) is a city and port on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State...
Bedouin music (Arabic: الموسيقى البدوية) is the musicof nomadic Bedouin Arab tribes in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Mesopotamia and the Levant...
Brittney Denise Parks, better known by her stage name Sudan Archives, is an American violinist, singer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California...
outline of Arabic and Andalusian classical music: its popular contemporary genres include the Algerian Raï. With these may be grouped the musicofSudan and...
is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It...
singer-songwriter. Called "Sudan's idol of the youth”, he was a central figure for Sudanese music fans, opposing the military government of the day. Mahmoud Abdulaziz...
South Sudan received a slightly higher rating but it was also rated as "not free". In the 2013 report of 2012 data, Sudan ranks 171st out of 186 countries...
"inspirational figure in Sudanese music and culture, whose prolific talent and massive contribution remains unsurpassed in Sudan." Wardi was born on 19 July...
The Lost Boys ofSudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese...
Bhanujeet Sudan (born 14 April 1981) is an Indian model and television actor who made his debut in 2006 show Bhabhi in the lead role of Nihaal. He has...
Sudan is a multilingual country dominated by Sudanese Arabic. In the 2005 constitution of the Republic ofSudan, the official languages ofSudan are Literary...
عبد القادر سالم, born 1946) is a singer and bandleader of popular music from Sudan. He is one of the most well-known Sudanese singers in the West, having...
As of the early 2000s, Sudan had one of the most restrictive media environments in Africa. Sudan's print media since independence generally have served...
capital ofSudan. With a population of 6,344,348, Khartoum's metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White...
(later Muhammad al-Mahdi) against the Khedivate of Egypt, which had ruled Sudan since 1821. After four years of struggle, the Mahdist rebels overthrew the...
revolution of 1952) seized power in Sudan in a coup d'état and started the Nimeiry era, also called the May Regime, in the history ofSudan. At the conspiracy's...
Marriage in Sudan is a fundamental social institution governed by Islamic law and Sudanese culture. Three types of marriages are recognized: traditional...
inhabitants ofSudan who identify as Arabs and speak Arabic as their mother tongue. Some of them are descendants of Arabs who migrated to Sudan from the...
Sudan's most sought-after music groups. Over the years of his long career, he has published many songs and albums, available mostly in Sudan. As of 2018...
Global Information
