Post date: Jan 14, 2011 1:6:53 PM
Young people in Khartoum, while sad that south Sudan will secede, say there are more important issues for them to be concerned with, in practice south and north will remain close.
KHARTOUM, SUDAN (JANUARY 13, 2011) REUTERS - For groups of young people in Sudan's northern capital of Khartoum, the banks of the Nile are a place for friendly gatherings and relaxation.
Smoking the traditional "Shisha" pipe popular across the Arab world, the young people gathered on the river's green banks are a mix with origins in both north and south Sudan.The banks of the Nile hold a special place in the hearts of many Sudanese, for it is on these banks that the famed Mahdi Army fought off England's General Gordon.
But for many young Sudanese, historical battles and the vote for secession that has gripped much of the country and caught the attention of the world, couldn't be further away.
Abbas, a Khartoum resident, has more pressing concerns on his mind.
"You know that Sudanese are renown for being good at demanding freedom and making their views known on whether their lives are well organized or not. But if there is one thing that makes the Sudanese really tense, it is a hike in the price of commodities," he said.
Abbas is not alone in being way more concerned about prices than about secession.
Sudanese students clashed with police for a second day on Thursday (January 13) over price rises after protests broke out in the universities of Khartoum and Gezira in the north's agricultural heartland against proposed cuts in subsidies in petroleum products and sugar, a strategic commodity in Sudan.
Algeria and Tunisia have seen serious clashes between police and demonstrators protesting against economic hardship, watched closely by other states in north Africa and across the Arab world with the potential for social unrest - including Sudan.
But on tranquil banks of the Nile, most youths have other things on their minds. This group from one of Khartoum's universities is taking time out for some serious relaxation. And as for the south's secession, many just shrug their shoulders..
"We will be very sad if south Sudan secedes. But at the same time we are happy with the southerners' selection - whether tha is unity or secession. We say that life will not stop if the southerners selected secession. We wish them all the very best for the future of their own state," said university lecturer Al-Safi Mahdi.
Singing and dancing are the main concern, today. This group's make-up, of both southern and northerners, however, may point to a more integrated future for north and south than many are worried about.
"We sing all kinds of songs from different areas of Sudan. We try to talk in each others' dialects. In general we are sharing. We don't care about the current politics and as evidence we are here gathering to enjoy our times," explained Rania Mahjoub, a university student.
While for some there is still a deep sense of sadness, there is also a strong dose of pragmatism.
"The hearts of Sudanese are in their hands because they want the country to remain united and they are worried that the country will reach the stage of secession. But life is going on normally. As for culture and sports, things are going on normally. Despite the fact that there is tension because of the secession expected, but still people hope that unity remains," said performer, Majdi Ali.
With the south looking more likely to seceede every minute, the slow pace of the Nile is a reminder that history runs deep in Sudan. The mix of cultures, faiths and ethnicities in Africa's largest country may prove more tenacious than the latest change in the region's long and turbid political history.