Africa 2000

Sudan

In ancient times, northern areas of present day Sudan were part of Pharaonic Egypt. Nubia as it is known even today, still contains rich archeological evidence of a vibrant and long lived civilization.
After the sun set on ancient Nubia empires, Coptic Christianity emerged in the sixth century. Christian influence waxed and waned until the 15th century when Islam was introduced and spread rapidly.
The Sudan fell victim to regional colonialism in the 1820s when the Egyptians conquered the last remaining indigenous tribes including the valiant Fung Empire.
The Sudan was not without a liberator on a par with Simon Bolivar of Latin America and Libya’s Omar Muktar. He was Muhammed Ahmed, a Dervish known to the Sudanese as the Mahdi for launching a popular revolution in the 1880s.
Unfortunately, this patriotic movement was dealt a fatal blow in 1898 when a combined British –Egyptian expedition defeated the uprising. The vast country called Anglo-Egyptian Sudan became a British colony run by proxy from Cairo – itself variously under Ottoman and British occupation.
The Egyptians gained wide ranging autonomy as of the 1940’s and by 1951 the Egyptian parliament had abrogated a 1936 treaty and five years later, on January 1, 1956, the Sudan became an independent nation.
Things remained quite stable for more than a decade after independence. However in 1969, the military became involved and a Revolutionary Council assumed power, albeit with a civilian prime minister and cabinet. The Sudan, like many other new African states of the period, adopted socialist policies.
The Sudan has had to overcome many social, political and economic problems throughout the next 30 years.
This included long running civil wars such as the bloody north-south conflict. This ethno-religious divide has cost the nation millions of lives and it was only in 2005 that a tenous peace agreement stopped the war. The nation has also experienced armed insurrections in other regions (Nubia) and more critically, is embroiled in the still unresolved war the vast western province of Darfur.
It is hoped that a joint AU/UN peace keeping force will bring about an end to what has been described as Africa’s worst humanitarian crisis. In other respects such as the economy, Sudan is enjoying unprecedented prosperity, fueled mainly by rising exports of crude oil. The nation maintains good relations with its neighbors including Ethiopia, with which it has extensive economic and social ties.

Facts and Figures

Location- North central east Africa Ethiopia and Eritrea on east, Egypt on north Libya on northwest, Chad and CAR on west, Uganda and DRC on south, touches Kenya on southwest
Area-2,505,810 sq km Ranked first in Africa and 10th in the world Some authorities maintain that Algeria is slightly larger than Sudan.
Topography-Libyan desert in north, mountainous Nubian Desert in east with Nile Valley in between. Larger fertile central plateau with watered areas and forests. South has rich soil, rainy climate.
Population-41,236,700
Distribution –39% urban
Ethnic Make-up-Black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%
Languages – Arabic (Official), Nubian, Ta-Bedaune, Nilotic, Sudanese dialects
Religions –Muslim, indigenous beliefs and Christian
Capital City – Khartoum, pop 4,518,000
Other Cities- Juba, Port Sudan, Umm Durman, Nyala, El-Fasher, Kassala
Government Type –In transition
Head of State and Government – President General Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bahir, since 1989
Currency – Dinar (SDD) 212. 59 = $ 1 US
Gross Domestic Product - $ 85.7 bln
Per Capita GDP -$ 2,100
Economy –Oil, cotton, millet, peanuts, edible oil, sugar, others
Electricity Production – 3.8 bln kwh
Literacy – 61%
Life Expectancy – 57.7 male, 60.2 female
AIDS Rate – 1.6%
Ports – Port Sudan
Airports – 15
Rail Roads – 5,994 kilometers – (largest rail network in Africa)
Vehicles –110,000 units
Telephones –1 mln lines
Radios – 480 per 1000 people
TV sets – 173 per 1000 people
Daily Newspaper Circulation – N.A.
Internet –1.1 mln users

Facts and figures are the latest available at time of publication and may not necessarily be the most accurate.

13 months of sunshine

Directed by: Yehdego Abeselom
Written by: Yehdego Abeselom
Produced by: Jeremiah Lewis
Type: Romance
Duration: 102 minutes

By Kirubel Tadesse

He needs the cash, she needs the green card. For her the green card is the only way to save her from getting deported to Ethiopia as her visitor’s visa expires in few months time. She plans to stay in USA and continue her education but that is only possible if she could find someway to obtain the green card. Her rather wealthy family finds her a way to do so, as they meet a guy desperate for cash. They agreed to pay 20,000 USD in order for him to marry her just for the sake of creating a chance for her to get a green card. She feared that if they don’t act like couples for the tough interviews they will face, she could be sent back to Ethiopia. For him the stakes were much higher as he could be put to jail for it.
The main character desperate for the cash in this new Amharic film, 13 Months of Sunshine, was passing through a rough time. His girl friend just left him after two years of romance through which he was too unsettled to commit and just full of promises and talks of doing something. That was a wake up call for him so that he did what he always wanted to do; owning a coffee shop with the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Whether they all get what they want or the whole idea turns around is for you to find out. 13 months of sunshine was inaugurated last Thursday, January 10, 2008 at EDNA Mall, Matti multiplex cinema.
Mohamoud Dirir, Minister of Tourism and Culture attended the inauguration ceremony. The director of the film also had a special guest, the creator of Ethiopia’s tourism motto, Habteselase Tafese.
Habteselase was presented an award by Minister Mohamoud, together with the director of the film, Yehdego Abeselom, a son of Abeselom Yehedego, known for supporting Ethiopian athletics on many occasions.
The magnificent setting of the Matti Multiplex Cinema, with perfect sound and visual system, gave an upper hand for the inauguration of 13 months of sunshine, as the film is the first one to enter this world class cinema which only puts box office Hollywood hits in three halls, five times a day. However, the audience witnessed visual and audio glitches as the film started to be screened, which shouldn’t be observed in a cinema of such high standard.
What 13 Months of Sunshine offers for Ethiopian audience in its story based in little Ethiopia found in the USA, is the real day to day life of Ethiopians there. Through its few but very appealing scenes, it forces us to look in to our traditions and blessings together with our treasure, the world’s second largest commodity, coffee which most couldn’t wait to leave behind if they get a chance to go aboard.
All of the actors in 13 Months of Sunshine are new but Hollywood old saying ‘cinema loves new faces’ is proved here as the actors, both Ethiopians and African Americans, give performances.
The story of 13 Months of Sunshine is not such earth shattering as it’s directing and editing, but a good time is guaranteed for those who are interested to see the film, which is similar to most simple but sexy romantic comedy films from America.

Continuity and Change:
Three Generations of Ethiopian Artists

Abiy Demilew

Curated by Dr. Achamyeleh Debela and Dr. Rebecca Nagy, Continuity and Change: Three Generations of Ethiopian Artists, featuring 32 works of contemporary Ethiopian art, made its appearance this week at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the Addis Ababa University.
The exhibition opened in Addis upon the completion of its tour in the United States in December 2007.
The exhibition is designed to demonstrate the rich creativity of Ethiopian artists across several generations, it was learnt.
This exhibition brings together painters and mixed media artists who draw inspirations from centuries old motifs and designs and with those who employ a modernist interpretive lens to explore and express their surroundings, the curators stated on the press release.
According to the curators, Continuity and Change has received critical scholarly acclaim and public attention as a significant attempt to document and historicize the evolution and transformation of art and visual culture in Ethiopia.
The catalogue that accompanies this exhibition is a collection of articles on artistic developments of the 20th century and it provides an important contribution to the understanding of Ethiopia’s cultural history.