In 2019 the Goethe-Institut Sudan initiated the project Sudan Moves to discuss the socio-political shifts Sudan and Germany were going through, when unexpectedly a global state of emergency was declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initial plans had to be adapted to take the artistic activities from the physical reality to the digital realm. Using online tools and platforms, five pairs of artists from Sudan and Germany got together for the purpose of a digital residency program during September and October 2020. Simultaneously a podcast was produced in Arabic and German introducing listeners to Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, discussing the relationship between people, culture, and history to get a better understanding of how the city is continuously shaped on an everyday basis. Also, the podcasts are accompanied by essays in Arabic and English. A digital exhibition presents the results of the residency in a space especially created for Sudan Moves.
The project is coordinated and funded by the Goethe-Institut Sudan and executed in collaboration with the Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz/Weißensee Academy of Arts, Art Kanoon Publishing House, ElMastaba TV, The Urban Episode and Rift Digital Lab.
Team Members
In an innovative and participatory approach, the Goethe-Institut invited a group of Sudanese and German creatives to get together in order to plan and realize Sudan Moves. After initial meetings in Berlin and Khartoum in October 2019, the members started exploring online tools to overcome the distance between them, border closures, travel constraints and restricted access to physical spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
