Sudan: A question of identity mask for the deficit
«Sudanese folk dances»
07-19-2012 01:39 AM
Haidar Ibrahim Ali *
After the secession of the south, take the Sudanese president and some of the clergy that the "obstacle south," which she was standing in the road may remain. The president said explicitly, that there is no longer the so-called multiculturalism, this is just an excuse to disrupt the law of God!
The basic dilemma in Sudan on the fact pluralism and diversity that characterizes the composition of the country, and the failure to manage diversity in a way that helps to build a modern civil state. In this more than the possibility or likelihood of the development of Sudan. When independence in 1956, hopes were high that this is an asset to a strategic role and civilization could be played by Sudan, and appeared the theory of the bridge between cultures, particularly between Arab and African countries, or between Islam and Christianity. This is what makes Arnold Toynbee, in his book "From the Niger to the Nile," promises the role of Nigeria and Sudan in Africa. But here lies the challenge: how can the state's nascent political elite and the newly Tdara that this diversity is an efficient and rational?
Concentration of the elite that led the national movement to gain independence and take power in the region, the northern Nile moderation. It is, almost all Arab or Muslim and Mozarabic. Although these groups were historically Her situation is better in every respect, economic, political and cultural, but after independence monopoly of power and wealth away, the other groups. And began to rule the economy and taking the form of what might be called the dominance of Islamic, Arab, and the two one thing in Sudan.
This was not just an illusion of domination or state of mind in non-Arab groups - Muslim, but rather manifestations appeared after independence directly at "Sudna jobs" any place of the British establishment of Sudanese and Egyptians. Southerners have got the six posts for 800 only public office. In addition, the monopoly of the North for the posts of Chairman of the Board of sovereignty, the Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, and the leaders of the army and the police. The natural reaction was to protest against these injustices, is a tropical band rebellion in August / August 1955, anointed the bloody history of the relationship between the two elements of the Sudan. And began a struggle between a dominant position and margin complain of "abandonment" (ie, causing its retardation), and the weight of cultural superiority. The question is: Is this option was inevitable and lonely?
The work of colonization on the employment of cultural diversity negatively to the success of his project for establishment of colonial tribal affiliations to serve the policy of "divide and conquer." From the outset, the government encouraged the colonial system of civil administration, which delegate some powers to the tribal sheikhs and mayors. Although the morphology of the decentralized system, the real goal is to establish administrative barriers are difficult to integrate national security. And reached the limit for passing a law degree in 1922 sealed areas, which prevents the movement of the North to the south. Management system and continued eligibility after the departure of colonialism, because the majority of the leaders of this administration were members of the traditional parties, the nation and the Federal National.
The match in the system of geographical constituencies parliamentary circle geographic residence with each tribe. Thus, national governments have kept on factors of division and fragmentation created by colonialism to achieve specific purposes, changed by the Sudanese rulers to purely partisan purposes. Did not try to political elites who ruled after independence, work to build a state and national modern civil, based on citizenship, and to recognize cultural diversity, then you are managing on the basis of a democratic, secular, which means the separation of religion from politics. This was a goal difficult, if not impossible, because these parties - in principle - religious parties and sectarian lines. It was natural to advance religion, and what this means from the repercussions of the other, to occupy the primary position and effective in determining the nature of the state and its work.
Crystallized and sustained crisis and Tercpt. I mean here by the crisis, the gap between the possible and the reality. Have been unable to ruling elites for the management of diversity efficiently, and synthesized a reality and I tried to make him a deal. The control of the political elite that ruled most of the post-independence, a victory for the forces of Pena traditional powers in the modern battle, which started in the last century, ie, with the advent of colonialism. This victory means that they imposed their views and perceptions and questions the reality of Sudan. Sudan has seen changes with the advent of colonialism on the developmental levels of social and economic objective was to make the occupation of the country pays off economically and administratively. But these achievements had side effects that have not calculated colonialism, the emergence of the modern elite forces will lead the fight against him. When the British enter the modern education, railways and mechanized agricultural projects, hospitals, did not realize they Oneptua contrast to their presence, and the enemy of the civil departments they have created. Formed bilateral traditional and modernity in all areas of life, not only in politics, thought and culture, but long compared to the modern traditional economy, agriculture, and even medicine.
But the other hand, succeeded in forcing the traditional forces everyone to busy to answer the question of identity: Who are we? Are we Arabs or Africans? This question and removed all other strategic issues such as development, national unity, national state-building and management of cultural diversity. These issues and has become a question of identity and conditional. Forces managed to build a traditional ideology on the conviction or belief say that we Arabs and Muslims. And worked to confirm the identity of the Islamic - Arab, although what this entails exclusion and marginalization, and sometimes racist. Did not stop the impact of this option when traditional powers, but tended to him different categories more or less. This option is the ideological identity of the magnitude found in the emotional manipulation of religious faith. Have taken the traditional forces of Arabism and Islam to perpetuate the hegemony of weapons, and the protection of their privileges, and to legitimize its oppression of the different cultural groups of them. The crisis originated in the deep rooted social system based on the structure of a vehicle, characterized by the relations of inequality between its main components, and stands on the top layer dominant and exclusionary. Thus, the required "mechanisms of the" distinction, exclusion and privilege to take the concept of Arabism ethnic and racial dimension in Sudan. Did not show the cultural dimension of Arabism only recently, with the emergence of nationalist movements, and the Baath Kalnasria.
North's insistence on the application of Islamic law was one of the driving reasons for separation. It is noticeable that the people of marginalized groups are applied to them the most severe sentences, not because of their faith, but because they are poorer, and steal, and one of them cut off his hand. The Constitution of the Islamic Front, a recently influential pressure group has the support of the system, weakened the possibility of developing a civil constitution that respects cultural diversity. This simply means the continuation of the path beyond Altftiti including South Sudan, because the Constitution of the Islamic proposal - According to previous experiences in Sudan - excludes non-Arab cultures.
The number of Sudan's population today to more than 38 million people, but the census 1955/1956 is the basis adopted, with the use of projections and expectations of increases in rates (2.8 per year), so that population statistics can not be renewed periodically. It consists of ethnic descent as follows: Arab 39%, 30% of Southerners, including 1% of the Dinka, 9% of West Darfur, the Beja - Eastern Sudan 6%, immigrants from West Africa 6%, 6% of the Nuba, Fung 1.7%. This compares with ethnic or racial diversity, diversity in the last multilingualism. Language Arabic is the official language and spoken by 52%, while lists of sources and there are 115 languages, 26 of them living language spoken by all of them more than a hundred thousand people. It uses a number of southerners hybrid language termed "Juba Arabic". In addition to the religious diversity of Islam and Christianity, religions House (or what he called, out of respect, the Constitution of 1973 after the peace agreement, "Karim beliefs").
Historically, the northern Sudanese, use "family trees" to prove the connection with the Prophet or Balaatarh Balabas and Hussein, giving them the status of others can not match them Sudanese. And by the second, and despite the prohibition of the slave trade in the bilateral Convention of Government in 1899, but the resulting effect of racism did not stop. He northerners, Muslims and Arabs, they are affected by the decision to "Christians" that did not deal with it seriously. Also, many Muslim jurists did not say the sanctity of the slave and were satisfied with the possibility of emancipation and good treatment. But strict laws enacted by the British to turn over to the slave workers, farmers, prostitutes and a local wine makers, ie work for money. Destruction of slavery as an institution was a social, but remained at the heart of Northern culture. It did not cease to be a "slave" and "slaves" of the Dictionary of classification and dealing with the southern rebels and Alnubaoyen and Inqasna and even Muslims from the spot and Albrko and Fallata, Zaghawa and other black skin. The high degree of insolence with some northerners, while Tjadelhm they are also black skin compared to other Arabs, and the response is "Let's see a wrinkled nose and hair." In addition, the North's claim of belonging to a ring of religion, and were also "the best nation raised up for the people."
* Professor of Political Science at the University of Khartoum
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