Khartoum Podcast is a series of episodes that explore the city of Khartoum from different social, cultural, and political aspects through the lenses of specialists, urbanists, artists, and other inhabitants of the city. The podcast discusses the relationship between people, culture, and history to get a better understanding of how Khartoum, the city we live in, is continuously being shaped every day.

By using a research-based approach for creating the episodes’ content, the podcast attempts to create an interactive experience that generates conversations and discussions on current Sudanese topics. Each episode will be accompanied by an essay in both English and Arabic citing all references used in the podcast. The interviews conducted for the podcast will be used to launch an online audio library of Sudanese knowledge and history which will be available to the public soon.

This podcast was produced by The Urban Episode, a research studio that focuses on the city and urban topics, for Sudan Moves, a project initiated and funded by the Goethe-Institut Sudan.

Omdurman Through the Times

Discusses the city of Omdurman and how it came to be established and the different internal and external influences that have shaped the city from the Mahdist state until today. The image of Omdurman as the National Capital and Sudan’s Microcosm is the central topic of this episode, how did this image come to be formed? And is it imagined or real?

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Sound of Khartoum

Discusses the alternative music scene in the Khartoum within the last 50 years by taking the examples of Jazz, Zanig and Rap genres and the various influences that led to their development. Using these examples, we discuss the process during which underground music goes mainstream and the politics surrounding it. This episode was produced in collaboration with Alrassa.

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Deathscapes

Looks into the relationship of Khartoum with death, and how spaces of death act as physical archives that have the ability to preserve the history of the city. These “deathscapes” have at times been integrated into living spaces and become contested sites where the socio-political relations in the city playout.

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Right to Public Space

Debates the different ways we define a public space and what that means to different people. What is the role of governance and how it influences the relationship we have with public space? What rights do we have when using or accessing public spaces?

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Revolution of Art

Discusses the relationship of art with politics by reflecting on the art movements that developed in post-colonial Sudan to the state of art and artists today after the Sudanese revolution. We discuss how this complex relationship to authority has been at times a vehicle for art production and at other times has undermined the freedom and space for art in Sudan.

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