A three-day conference on Sudan, titled Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art, will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 18–20 September 2025. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, the event will bring together academics, artists, journalists, and activists to generate critical insights and explore the role of art and creative expression during times of violence, war, and displacement.
Organised by Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), the conference is the 10th installment of GU-Q’s acclaimed Hiwaraat series. The Hiwaraat Conference Series offers timely and topical conferences that draw together experts, practitioners, scholars, policymakers, and youth to discuss some of the most pressing topics of our time.
A Keynote Panel: Eyes on Sudan, taking place on the first day, 18 September, will include Sudanese artist Khalid Albaih, Sudanese-British journalist Zeinab Badawi, Sudanese artist Rashid Diab, and Sudanese-British journalist Nesrine Malik, and will be moderated by GU-Q Dean Safwan Masri.
“At a time when Sudan’s crisis risks invisibility, this conference amplifies Sudanese voices and highlights the transformative role of culture in sustaining resilience and hope,” said Dean Safwan. “The 50 leading scholars, artists, and activists speaking at the conference will show how art functions as politics by other means, with memory as its medium, imagination as its arena, and survival as its aim.”
In addition, the conference’s programme includes live performances by Sudanese-American singer-songwriter, and ethnomusicologist Alsarah of Alsarah & The Nubatones and Palestinian composer, singer‑songwriter and engineer Huda Asfour on 18 September, as well as a special art exhibition and book launch for the new and updated version of Sudan Retold at Alhosh Gallery on 19 September. Put together and edited by Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Khalid Albaih, Sudan Retold: An Art Book About the History and Future of Sudan was originally published in 2019, consisting of 31 chapters each contributed by different Sudanese artists, writers, illustrators, designers, photographers and a chef.
The conference will reflect on Sudanese resilience, memory, and identity through panel discussions exploring Sudanese art, film, music, and diaspora life. Various panels discussions will be held under the themes: Collecting Sudan, Thinking Sudan, Living Sudan, Exhibiting Sudan, Reporting Sudan, Everyday Sudan, Sounds of Sudan, Designing Sudan, Screening Sudan, and Reimagining Sudan. The panel discussions will include notable speakers such as Sudanese-British journalist Yousra Elbagir, German ethnologist Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann, American film producer and director Bentley Brown, Sudanese-Russian filmmaker and researcher Suzannah Mirgani, Sudanese writer, engineer, researcher, and public speaker Muzan Alneel, and British-Sudanese journalist Nesrine Malik.
The war in Sudan began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. An estimated 12 to 14 million people have been displaced, and over 150,000 lives lost. This ongoing crisis devastates the present and threatens both the past and future, putting Sudan’s rich cultural heritage at risk.
The conference is led by Suzannah Mirghani, the filmmaker behind Al-Sit (2020) and Cotton Queen (2025), is an Assistant Director for Publications at the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at GU-Q. The university is one of six prestigious American research universities situated in Education City, an ambitious educational initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF). Since its founding in 2005, their diverse faculty has conducted groundbreaking research and prepared students from more than 70 countries for leadership positions on the world stage. GU-Q offers a rich scholarly environment and unparalleled possibilities to engage with some of the most pressing issues of regional and international relevance.
As GU-Q marks its 20th anniversary, Seeing Sudan exemplifies its aim to foster bold scholarship and dialogue that bridges cultures, honors diverse histories, and addresses the world’s most pressing challenges.
For more information or to register, visit hiwaraat.qatar.georgetown.edu/seeing-sudan-politics-through-art.
Note: 500WM editor Ola Diab will join the Living Sudan panel on 19 September at 3:45 pm with Salma Amin, the co-founder of Andariya; Ruba El Melik, the Sudanese writer and researcher; Stella Gaitano, a South Sudanese writer; and Anna Reumert, a German political anthropologist and a gender studies scholar. The panel will be moderated by Sudanese writer and curator Qutouf Elobaid. For more information or to register, visit hiwaraat.qatar.georgetown.edu/seeing-sudan-politics-through-art/leaving-sudan
