4 ms·

I spent a month driving through Sudan just a few weeks before the coup in early/mid 2019 that finally removed the insane Al-Bashir from power. [1] I learned a

by grecy 5y ago

I spent a month driving through Sudan just a few weeks before the coup in early/mid 2019 that finally removed the insane Al-Bashir from power. [1] I learned a great deal in Sudan - about how the world works (international sanctions causing millions to live cut off from the world economy), how government warnings are more of a political tool than they are an indicator of how safe a visit will be for an ordinary traveller and about how it's often the case that those suffering under the worst dictators are actually the kindest people. The Sudanese people are by far the friendliest and kindest I have ever met anywhere on the planet, and I hope their incredible spirit can endure this latest round. Also, the landscapes and ruins are simply breathtaking. [2] [1] http://theroadchoseme.com/ethiopia-ends-into-sudan http://theroadchoseme.com/ethiopia-ends-into-sudan (Click 'Next Story' at the bottom to read through all my Sudan articles and see my photos) [2] My landscape photos here: http://theroadchoseme.com/across-sudan http://theroadchoseme.com/across-sudan

giuliomagnifico 5y ago
Whoa very interesting, thanks for sharing! And what do you think will be the future for the Sudan now that military has taken the power/nation?
- grecy 5y ago
  Honestly I have no idea. The general population are incredibly kind and community-minded, but like so much of Africa it seems the 0.001% of horrible megalomaniacs get into power and go absolutely crazy turning countries into their own playgrounds.
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    I was really shocked when a Brazilian friend of mine was longing for the days of military dictatorship. Why on earth would he support a dictatorship? Because of crazy murder rates and crime. .001% of the population can destroy popular support for Democracy, if the democratic government isn't able to keep them in check. And you see this pattern everywhere. * A small number of anti-social homeless can destroy all the public spaces in a city. * A small number of disruptive students in a class prevents everyone else from getting an education. * A small number of vandals can destroy beautiful public spaces for everyone. * A small number of shoplifters can shutdown stores all across a city etc. How society protects itself from the tail of anti-social behavior is going to determine in large part how successful the society will be. And unfortunately in the West we are focusing so much on whether the tail is being treated unfairly and how it can be reformed rather than whether the rest of society is being protected from the tail at all. This type of tail mismanagement is a good way to lose popular support not only for democracy but for many other institutions (e.g. schools, local governments). This is how people turn to private security, vigilante groups, gated communities, private schools, and in general lose a sense of solidarity and social cohesion.
1cvmask 5y ago
Sudan has been attacked by the US since the 1970s and many proxy armies and militias were created to split up the country in good old fashioned white master colonial style. Once the Sudan was split into two, and Obama birthed South Sudan into the world major genocides occurred in South Sudan. That is of course when there was a media (white world media) blackout: https://democracyinafrica.org/washingtons-inconvenient-genocide-in-south-sudan/ https://democracyinafrica.org/washingtons-inconvenient-genoc... The white Bill Clinton bombed pharmaceutical factories in black African Sudan to deflect attention from the Monica Lewinsky affair leading to 1000s of blacks dying in the Sudan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factor...
- rajamaka 5y ago
  Why did you feel it necessary to describe Clinton's skin color but not Obama's?
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  The first article you sent was chilling - it is important to mention for anyone doubting it's accuracy at I was that it was also published in Le Monde.
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  Well... Sudan's treatment (at least under Bashir) of non-muslim tribes in the south was pretty close to genocide, too. Some of those are still in Sudan rather than South Sudan.
grujicd 5y ago
I can recommend “You will die at twenty”, a beautiful Sudanese movie. The one which you don’t watch for plot or story, but for insight into another culture. They don’t have computers or phones in that movie, but although story happens in a poor vilage, they are not hungry, they are not dirty, they are not unhappy. And you do get that feeling from parent comment about people being very friendly and kind.

by grecy 5y ago

giuliomagnifico 5y ago

Whoa very interesting, thanks for sharing! And what do you think will be the future for the Sudan now that military has taken the power/nation?

grecy 5y ago
Honestly I have no idea. The general population are incredibly kind and community-minded, but like so much of Africa it seems the 0.001% of horrible megalomaniacs get into power and go absolutely crazy turning countries into their own playgrounds.
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  I was really shocked when a Brazilian friend of mine was longing for the days of military dictatorship. Why on earth would he support a dictatorship? Because of crazy murder rates and crime. .001% of the population can destroy popular support for Democracy, if the democratic government isn't able to keep them in check. And you see this pattern everywhere. * A small number of anti-social homeless can destroy all the public spaces in a city. * A small number of disruptive students in a class prevents everyone else from getting an education. * A small number of vandals can destroy beautiful public spaces for everyone. * A small number of shoplifters can shutdown stores all across a city etc. How society protects itself from the tail of anti-social behavior is going to determine in large part how successful the society will be. And unfortunately in the West we are focusing so much on whether the tail is being treated unfairly and how it can be reformed rather than whether the rest of society is being protected from the tail at all. This type of tail mismanagement is a good way to lose popular support not only for democracy but for many other institutions (e.g. schools, local governments). This is how people turn to private security, vigilante groups, gated communities, private schools, and in general lose a sense of solidarity and social cohesion.

1cvmask 5y ago

Sudan has been attacked by the US since the 1970s and many proxy armies and militias were created to split up the country in good old fashioned white master colonial style. Once the Sudan was split into two, and Obama birthed South Sudan into the world major genocides occurred in South Sudan. That is of course when there was a media (white world media) blackout: https://democracyinafrica.org/washingtons-inconvenient-genocide-in-south-sudan/ https://democracyinafrica.org/washingtons-inconvenient-genoc... The white Bill Clinton bombed pharmaceutical factories in black African Sudan to deflect attention from the Monica Lewinsky affair leading to 1000s of blacks dying in the Sudan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factor...

rajamaka 5y ago
Why did you feel it necessary to describe Clinton's skin color but not Obama's?
sudosysgen 5y ago
The first article you sent was chilling - it is important to mention for anyone doubting it's accuracy at I was that it was also published in Le Monde.
AnimalMuppet 5y ago
Well... Sudan's treatment (at least under Bashir) of non-muslim tribes in the south was pretty close to genocide, too. Some of those are still in Sudan rather than South Sudan.

grujicd 5y ago

I can recommend “You will die at twenty”, a beautiful Sudanese movie. The one which you don’t watch for plot or story, but for insight into another culture. They don’t have computers or phones in that movie, but although story happens in a poor vilage, they are not hungry, they are not dirty, they are not unhappy. And you do get that feeling from parent comment about people being very friendly and kind.