Burj El Fateh

It's a good imitation of Dubai's Burj Al Arab.

We, the Sudanese are excited about Burj El Fateh, the new egg-shapped hotel/mall in K-town.

I'm talking about a country at war and under severe American/ European and UN sanctions. I can't help but think about a Sudan at peace. It could easily become a regional powerhouse!

Sudan, the pride of Africa ( in the near future, say ameeen!)

The Democracy of Hypocrisy is killing me!

Jeffrey Gettleman's article called War in Sudan? Not Where the Oil Wealth Flows and a year later, Rob Crilly's Boom belies Sudan’s pariah status have 2 things in common

1- They give the impression that the Sudanese living in Sudan and most specifically Khartoum don't give a damn about Darfur and the plight of Darfurians while the whole world is campaigning, protesting and generously donating thousands of dollars.

2- The US-sponsored international sanctions on Sudan are not doing much so (the international community might as well increase the sanctions or ban all companies from doing business in Sudan).



Why the sanctions are not cool

First of all, increasing the sanctions on Sudan are not going to make the Sudanese government "surrender" and stop killing innocent civilians. In the 1990's, when Sudan didn't export any oil, they still managed to fund the holy war on the "kuffar". There are many generous donors who supported our government for many years. Currently, things are different. We export oil. Our economy grows about 10% every year making it one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. Sudan is a popular investment destination. New hotels are being built every day( The manager of Rotana hotel said that another one is being built).
The development ,economic improvement and investments are benefiting the people more than the government because they are creating new employment opportunities( we desperately needed that!)
Isn't it a good thing?

Three years ago, we only had a couple of small boring channels and of course the disappointing Sudan tv. Now there are at least 3 new channels promoting investment in Sudan and creating a very attractive image of the " New Sudan" or at least this is what they call it.

Not to mention the availability of all kinds of goods in supermarkets, cafes and even international brands such as Espirit.

Oil and self-interest

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that in the next 50 years, oil will be very precious.
John Ghazvinian(author of untapped: the scramble for Africa's oil) pointed out that oil will make Africa the new Middle East, the new Saudi Arabia.
If you read Untapped: The scramble for Africa's oil, you are going to know that the US, other western powers and China are very very interested in oil-producing African countries. The US is serious about stabilizing the gulf of guinea region to guarantee a steady oil supply. The Middle East is on fire now while Africa is cooling down.

Although the civil societies in Japan (just an example) are concerned about the innocent civilians dying in Darfur , the Japanese government wants more oil from Sudan now (they just signed an agreement).
If the government of Equatorial guinea is a dictatorship then why is America its number one costumer when it comes to oil exports?
Self-interest is important however, oil is more important. Countries are willing to pay alot of money to get oil, secure and stabilize the region they get their oil from and most importantly, overlook brutal governments and human rights abuses for it.

Why are Sudanese living in Khartoum portrayed in this negative way?

The title of Gettleman's article really irritated me. His article starts with a picture and this is written below it "As one of the world’s worst atrocities unfolds in Darfur, some 600 miles to the west, young women enjoy the good life at the Ozone Café in Khartoum, including ice cream and outdoor air-conditioning".
A couple of young girls are having a nice time at the Ozone cafe...so? Did you even ask them how they feel about Darfur?
Last time I checked, many Sudanese people wanted Darfur to stop and wanted the displaced people to go home. My neighbours back home rented their house to an organization aiming at helping Darfurians in Khartoum etc..
I really don't think people in Khartoum should stay home and be depressed. Speaking of depression, I really think we spent most of the 1990's being depressed.
I'm glad people in different parts of this world are concerned about Darfur (although I find it funny how many people always say we were silent when Rwanda happened ,let's stop Darfur..feeling guilty are we now?)


Funny thing

It's funny how a year after Gettleman's article was published, another journalist called Rob Crilly travelled to Khartoum to write about the same issue!
Seriously, both journalists failed to point out something very important..actually, this is my own personal observation:S
China can give Sudan all the money in the world and Sudan can become one of the largest oil-exporters in the world but this doesn't make China or any other country buying oil from Sudan or engaging in a mutually-beneficial relationship with Sudan a "bad" country. Why do people care about the money China gives to Sudan for its oil? Why do they keep calling china's Olympics "genocide Olympics"? Why are other western and eastern countries banned when they try to invest in Sudan?
PEOPLE SHOULDN'T CARE ABOUT WHO GIVES SUDAN MONEY, THEY SHOULD CARE ABOUT HOW THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT USES THIS MONEY!
I said it! Yes! loud and clear.
It's really not China's problem that Beshbesh's government is using it's money to buy arms and train its soldiers.

I'm glad Khartoum is booming or whatever.... however, I'm hating the democracy of hypocrisy in this world.


articles:-
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/world/africa/24sudan.html?ex=1319342400&en=9fa37c1bffd09db2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2436998.ece

Stay tuned- A24

ok, this was my idea but hey, I'm glad it was done for Africa by an African.

Next year, A24, a pan -african news channel will start broadcasting from Kenya, East Africa.
It's like Al-Jazeera, a pan-arab channel however, A 24 is for Africans, by Africans.

Finally, we Africans will start voicing out our thoughts about what's happening in our continent.

Here is a quote from the Kenyan journalist and founder, Salem Amin:

Salim Amin wrote in an article: "We are different in each corner of Africa; we have different histories, cultures and many different languages. But we need to talk to each other, we need to understand all these differences, we need to share our successes, and jointly fight our problems and failures - many of which are similar - HIV, malaria, corruption, poverty, human rights and education."

Does anything good ever happen there?

This was her answer when my professor told her to ask me anything about Africa.

We were in America and a famous Jewish-American human rights activist/writer/professor invited us for lunch. We talked and talked about the middle east/Islam/immigration/human rights issues and when my professor suggested they ask me something about Africa because I'm from there and I know alot about my beloved continent. This is what she told me " Does anything good ever happen there?". I can't describe how I felt at the time because its too complicated. I'm not sure if I felt angry or sad. I think I felt both. I also felt her Afro-pessimism rub on me. I felt it clinging to my skin and as I tried reminding myself of the good things in my continent .I still couldn't recover to my old-self.

Then, I remembered something my mother told me 2 days before I travelled "always be proud of being African and always be proud of Africa".

Today in my cultures of Africa class, the professor asked us what is Africa?

As an African, I can't answer this question. I can give you an abstract definition but it's never good enough. What is Africa and what does it represent to us?
Is the brutal Africa where people are killed, women are raped, children are abducted and enslaved and societies are torn apart the same Africa I'm in love with?

If you ask yourself this question then you have to think about different African countries. Is it possible to do so? The Sudanese speak atleast 500 languages and they are divided into atleast 600 ethnic groups, can you tell me now what is Sudan? I can't tell you what is Sudan.

What is Sudan to you? Is it Darfur? Is it a brutal Islamic government on a mission to oppress and prosecute christians?

What is Zimbabwe to you? Is it a country so badly mismanaged , it went from being the breadbasket of Southern Africa to one of Africa's most needy countries?

Africa could mean poverty and war to you, some students said that in class. It's true but it's not the whole story. If you think of Africa this way...you must be looking at 40% of the picture my friend!

Africa is not darfur,rwanda, dictatorships,underdevelopment or even AIDS. If I was asked what Africa is, I will not be able to give a clear concrete answer. I will select some of the above,all of the above and other. Please don't ask me what this "other" is.

Mr.Know-it-all
I always wondered what "expert on Africa" means. Many western newspapers will label a certian journalist or writer as "this man is an expert on Africa".

Can he answer this question" what is africa"? Can he give us all a concrete precise definition of the continent?

How does colonial/post-colonial/pre-colonial africa differ?

I used the encounter I had with the American lady because it meant so much to me. It really showed me how Africa is misunderstood by most people, even the educated ones who have the chance to travel and see the real Africa. I don't know what she meant by "good". The opening of a new hospital in Central Africa might be a good thing for Africans or for people in that region but will it count as a good thing ?

There are alot of overlooked small "good" things in Africa.

When it comes to female representation in parliament, Rwanda ranks number 1. I wonder if this achievement in Rwanda is "good".

Ghana remained one of the most peaceful countries in the world and the most peaceful in Africa although its neighbours are at war. Isn't Ghana a good example of a stable African country?

I don't know what's considered good in the western media or in America or in the world but if you stopped tinking about war/HIV/poverty/underdevelopment in Africa for exaxctly 10 minutes, you might actually give yourself a rare chance to see

something else. something great,something special...

Hello development, care to stay?

Picture 1- AL Fateh Tower

Picture 2-Al Sunut project

I'm assuming many of you heard about El Fateh Tower/Burj al Fateh. (see picture 1)

El Fateh Tower- A massive Libyan-financed five-star hotel, shaped like a boat's sail, has already changed the city's low-rise skyline and work is well underway to transform parts of the sleepy city centre into a bustling, gleaming 24-hour metropolis.

For me, El Fateh tower is not only a shopping mall and a hotel, it is also a clear sign of development and of Sudan gracefully entering the 21st century. Almost.

Thankfully, we have oil! Both a blessing and a curse. In the case of Sudan it was both. Literally. Oil was a key cause of the second sudanese war and other conflicts. However, it is also a blessing seeing that in less than a decade, my beloved Sudan became Africa's third largest oil-producing country.

ok, many sudanese didn't see any "oil" yet but in some parts of Khartoum, oil could be seen ( not actual oil, I'm talking about the oil money).

Recently, the International Monetary Fund has praised Sudan's reforms and expects the economy to grow by 11% this year - one of the highest rates in Africa.

Another important project taking place in Sudan now is "Al-Sunut"- a vast building site consisting of 10 hotels, shopping malls and a huge residential area located in Al-Mugrun.

People like to refer to it as Africa's Dubai or mabye even New York City. All I know and all I'm sure of is that it will be amazing.

Amir Diglal, from the al-Sunut company behind the project, says the first of several international banks is due to open its doors later this year, with the entire project to be completed by 2014. (see picture 2)

Although many superpowers imposed severe sanctions on Sudan (such as Britain's largest ex-colony), many Arab, African and even South-Asian businessmen are investing their money in the Sudan.

Amir Diglal added that ""The Americans will miss a great opportunity in Sudan," .

Will El-Sunut affect the culture as well?

Here is the interesting part...

Mr Diglal hopes the project will do more than just provide an economic boost.

"The challenge is not money or engineering but changing the culture."

He paints a picture of, no-doubt wealthy, Sudanese people strolling along the banks of the Nile from a top class restaurant to a cinema showing the latest releases.

Some go even further.

"One day, we might even have nightclubs," says one of those involved in the project. ( keep in mind: this person wanted to remain annoymous because he doesn't want problems with the authorities).

Surprisingly, unlike many African and ehm ehm "Arab" countries, alchohol is banned in Sudan. In other words, it is not served anywhere unlike the good old days! Before our very own Islamic revolution ( we did have an Islamic revolution in Sudan although it wasn't a revolution and a shah wasn't involved if you know what I mean!) alcohol was served in places and till this day, you can see the empty bars in the Khartoum hotels.

Sources:

1-http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6573527.stm

2-My mind