Awad Haroun, 45, a visual artist and theatre director, fled his home in Al-Halfaya, Khartoum North, after war destroyed a life he had worked hard to build in the capital.
asserted
he → flee → capital
He moved to Port Sudan with his wife and son, leaving behind his home, artistic workspace and the tools he needed to work, shortly after fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in April 2023.
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fighting → move → April
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When he fled, he carried little: Two shirts, two pairs of trousers, two books and a few torn drawing papers, expecting to return soon.
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he → afford → trousers
Instead, he has been forced to rebuild his life far from home.
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he → force → home
He lost not only his home but also the tools and materials he relied on to work and make a living.
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he → lose → living
In Port Sudan, he looked to use his skills in sculpture, design and decoration for some money.
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he → look → money
He has since participated in theatrical performances at Wasel Festival, organised by Ahalina Cultural Group in partnership with UNESCO, and led traditional arts workshops with cultural groups.
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He → participate → groups
Awad founded Ahalina cultural group in 2013 with a group of young people, using theatre, visual arts, music and puppetry to engage with young people and promote peace and social cohesion.
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Awad → found → peace
Drawing, storytelling, music and play have also given children opportunities to express themselves and connect with others.
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Drawing → give → others
“Losing my tools does not mean I have lost my skills, and losing my workspace does not mean I have lost my ability to create,” Awad told Al Jazeera.
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Awad → lose → Jazeera
Awad and other displaced artists found shelter at an old school in Port Sudan, where they helped clean and prepare the building for families forced from their homes.
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they → displace → homes
“Now, concerns about the possibility of eviction have left us uncertain about where we will go next,” he said.
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he → leave → us
While art cannot replace a lost home or end the war, Awad believes it can preserve memories, bring communities together and offer children space to play and express themselves.
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it → replace → themselves
“From the ashes, we will rise” is the motto of Ahalina cultural group.
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we → rise → group
This is more than a slogan for Awad; it is a reminder to keep creating, despite everything the war has taken from him.
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war → keep → him
The war has taken a heavy toll on Sudan’s cultural life, damaging heritage sites and disrupting the livelihoods of artists across the country.
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war → take → country
In June 2026, UNESCO estimated that Sudan’s cultural sector faced a $30m funding gap.
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sector → estimate → gap
But behind this figure are deeply personal losses: Artists killed by the war or forced to leave behind studios, galleries, artworks and the tools they need to create.
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they → kill → studios
In April 2024, UNESCO reported that the Artists and Writers Union in Port Sudan had provided shelter to more than 112 displaced artists and other cultural professionals.
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Union → report → artists
The challenges remain significant, but cultural initiatives have continued.
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initiatives → remain → ?
In April 2026, UNESCO said its initiatives in Port Sudan had benefitted more than 350 artists, women, girls and internally displaced cultural professionals, supporting efforts to sustain Sudan’s cultural life amid the conflict.
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initiatives → say → conflict
Asim Abdelaziz, 31, a musician and filmmaker, left El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, amid escalating fighting and repeated drone attacks.
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Abdelaziz → leave → fighting
He arrived in Port Sudan in November 2023, hoping to find safety and work.
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He → arrive → safety
Separated from his family, who are scattered between Omdurman and El Obeid, Asim lives alone in a shelter for displaced artists.
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Asim → separate → artists
The war has uprooted his life and disrupted his career, but he continues to use music to preserve Sudan’s cultural heritage and bring communities together.
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he → uproot → communities
In Port Sudan, he has worked with the local Artists and Writers Union, UNESCO and community organisations.
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he → work → Union
He has also collaborated with the Ministry of Culture and Information and other artists on music programmes to address social issues, including hate speech and racism.
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He → collaborate → speech
Asim said the war has spurred hate speech and deepened divisions between Sudan’s different communities.
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war → say → communities
He believes art can counter these differences by promoting diversity, mutual acceptance and peaceful coexistence.
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art → believe → diversity
“I have seen firsthand how hate speech affects people’s lives,” Asim told Al Jazeera.
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Asim → see → Jazeera
“Through music, I try to remind Sudanese people that we are all brothers and sisters, and that war does not represent who we are.”
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we → try → people
Mokhalaya, a project he founded to document and archive traditional music and rhythms from across the country a year ago, is one avenue for this.
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he → found → this
“I hope to take the project to international festivals, introducing audiences abroad to [showcase] Sudan’s rich musical traditions and cultural diversity,” he said.
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he → hope → traditions
Preserving heritage is not just about safeguarding the past, but also about keeping Sudan’s cultural identity alive during a war that has displaced communities and disrupted lives, he said.
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he → preserve → lives
Abdelqader Hashem, secretary of the Red Sea State Writers and Artists Union, told Al Jazeera the union has supported artists and their families who fled fighting in other parts of Sudan since the war began on April 15, 2023.
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war → tell → April
“We worked to establish a shelter for displaced artists in a school in Port Sudan and sought support from local and international organisations to provide for their basic needs,” he said.
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he → work → needs
Beyond providing shelter, the union has helped displaced artists take part in the city’s cultural activities, contributing to community awareness programmes that address important societal issues such as the dangers of drug use, a growing concern in Sudan.
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that → provide → Sudan
“We have also implemented projects in partnership with UNESCO to train children in displacement camps in handicrafts, including concrete crafts,” Hashem said.
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Hashem → implement → crafts
“Most of the displaced artists have since returned to their homes in Khartoum following the Sudanese army’s recapture of the capital.”
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Most → displace → capital
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