Music helps people to live in harmony

by Salah Hashim, Business Development Officer,
ITDGPractical Action Kassala Office

This article originally appeared in the January 2004 edition of Sharing, Practical Action Sudan's newsletter. It is retained here for reference, but the information may no longer be up to date.

The war-displaced in Kassala are mainly settled in two large slums. IDPs from the most southern states live in Wau Nur slum, while those from western Sudan who are mostly Nuba are in a slum area called Kadugli. Kassala also hosts a large number of refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The displaced communities are composed of people belonging to various tribes with differences in culture, language and tradition. Accordingly, national and tribal festivals are celebrated with arts and dances, drama and folkloric music played in traditional styles. Diverse arts identify each group and maintain their sense of identity within the larger community.

ITDGPractical Action Sudan realized the importance of indigenous cultural practices in the lives of displaced people. The Kassala staff working in Wau Nur and Kadugli saw an opportunity to use music and theatre as a vehicle to promote messages among the tribes regarding issues such as gender, health, education, conflict resolution and peace building. In particular traditional festivities are occasions at which local peace building for coexistence between tribes and the host communities can take place.

Consequently, the Kassala IDPs project is working to promote local dance and music. A survey was conducted in October 2003 to assess the possibilities for promoting development and awareness messages through this medium, and especially focusing on disseminating peace culture. Following the survey a workshop was held during which folkloric musical instruments were made and repaired, with bands from different community groups working together.

The workshop has led the bands to develop messages carrying the values of peace and co-existence in the form of dances and songs. The effectiveness of these indigenous arts as a means of communication comes from their simplicity and familiarity. New ideas or painful issues can be addressed through songs and celebrations that are part of the communities' age-old cultures, rather than appearing as a threat to their known way of life.

The benefits of the project are already being seen in resolved conflicts between the displaced and the host community, and the breaking down of social barriers. At the same time the groups' cultural practices are maintained and affirmed with harmony rather than hostility, helping to build awareness of the necessity of peace and avoid future conflict.

Coping with conflict:
peace-building through technology

by Mohamed Majzoub, Country Director, ITDGPractical Action Sudan

Many of Sudan's conflicts are tribal based. In the Darfur region this is particularly the case and outbreaks of fighting between farmers and pastoralists in the area are frequent.

Hostilities are exacerbated by drought, which shrinks the pasturelands, causing nomads to break in to farmers' crops and let their herds feed. On large, mechanized farms an area of natural pasture can be allocated, leaving a narrow cordon for nomads to pass through without disturbing the crops, but poorer farmers need other alternatives to avoid losing their crops to the hungry herds.

ITDGPractical Action employs technology-based solutions to help farmers protect their livelihood:

Technology for crop harvesting
Currently most farmers harvest their crops manually, which is a slow process. ITDGPractical Action has introduced powered millet and sorghum threshers so that harvesting takes less time to complete.

Water supply
Pastoralists and farmers suffer from scarce water resources. ITDGPractical Action stablises water supplies by digging water wells and building dams in order to reduce conflict over water.

Early maturing crop varieties
ITDGPractical Action has introduced early maturing crops on many farms, enabling the farmers to collect their harvest early, before the nomads break in.