Sudan’s unimaginable dispossession and death continue. In Berlin, Soul Suleiman, a DJ of Sudanese descent, has been organizing relief efforts and amplifying Sudanese voices. With the loss of Soul’s family in Sudan, other artists are doubling their efforts in support – and you can join in.
Just as it has for Syrians, Ukrainians, and Palestinians, Berlin has become home to a vast diaspora and refugee community. That also hits the music world. My ongoing frustration with Berlin’s music scene is that it so often focuses on German and white artists rather than the ongoing waves of changing demographics and the parallel reality it creates.
As Soul’s MOTHER.LOADING fundraiser describes what’s happening:
Since April 15th, the conflict in Sudan has displaced nearly 10 million and claimed over 13,000 lives- leaving families separated and vulnerable. Homes and livelihood infrastructure have been destroyed, and basic necessities like food, water, and medical care are extremely scarce.
To give that some perspective, the organizers here have made a helpful graph showing that the displaced Sudanese population – only those displaced – is now the equivalent of three Berlins. (I’ll let you translate to your own city’s population, but it’s 10 million people.)
DJSOULSEEK has organized two major efforts. There’s MOTHER.LOADING, which is raising funds for Sudan with direct, community-embedded support. And there’s DUNYA, a new series on culture and resistance worldwide.
Here’s the first episode of DUNYA from May, which both shares Sudanese music (via SOULSEEK and Sunan Tapes Archive) and talks about the MOTHER.LOADING project:
Plus the recording session:
Then comes this terrible news about Soul’s family, via Nene H:
You can check the effort by UMAY, Nene H’s non-profit label platform:
Here’s more on directly supporting MOTHER:
Definitely read the full text on the GoFundMe fundraiser, but to break it down
Give back to the humans and their music: here’s a gorgeous and well-titled Endurance MixXx by SOULSEEK:
And as the fundraiser notes: “We recognize the importance of supporting relief efforts that are deeply embedded within affected communities and empowering local leaders to drive sustainable change from within.” As you’ll often see big external fundraisers advertising on social media, that’s worth underlining.
The warnings about Sudan never cease; see the WHO this month for one example. But that doesn’t mean despair and inaction are the only course. There are political efforts to cut off weaponry to Sudan, including in the United States. Writing for the not-for-profit ZNetwork, researcher Mohamed Suliman details those actions in the US Congress and elsewhere, including an effort by Rep. Ilhan Omar to block arms to the UAE:
Funding the War in Sudan: Restrain the UAE and End U.S. Complicity
Amnesty International issued a report just yesterday on funding, covering not only the arms flow from the United Arab Emirates but also Russia, China, and Türkiye:
New weapons fuelling the Sudan conflict
Sudan: Constant flow of arms fuelling relentless civilian suffering in conflict – new investigation
That’s also led some to call for boycotts of the UAE. I want to acknowledge some of my own failed solidarity in participating in MUTEK’s edition in Dubai in May. I’m glad to address that directly separately; there are reasons our Canadian-sponsored event with Iranian, Gulf, Lebanese, Palestinian, and international participants had limited choices in the region. But I don’t want to be defensive in any way; Sudanese organizers can rightfully fault me on that. At the very least, we should all keep talking about the UAE’s involvement and, as a US citizen, my own government’s direct complicity in enabling that arms flow and blocking an embargo.
Case in point – Sudan touches so much of the Arab world and cities like Berlin that this is yet another case where we have to say music is political, and these situations are all deeply personal. Taking “politics” out of music requires a great deal of privilege and a total absence of empathy.
If anyone has other work we should follow, please get in touch.
