I usually avoid thinking about my day job when I am working on the blog except for the rare occassion when interests intersect.  For International Women’s Day,  I wanted to write about the amazing opportunity I had last March to visit Morocco and Sudan on a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) field visit.  Women were at the heart (and often the key to the success) of many programs and projects we observed on to the trip to improve food security for rural and displaced populations.  The FAO itinerary included remote villages in Northeastern Sudan that are difficult to reach as a solo traveler.

The timing was ideal to explore the resilient culture of Sudan. The formation of a new government in Khartoum had led to an upbeat mood about Sudan’s prospects for improving agriculture trade and attracting foreign investors and tourists.  The Sudan portion of the visit required traveling from Casablanca to Cairo, where we could catch a connecting flight to the capital in Khartoum. Our group arrived weary-eyed at Khartoum airport in the middle of the night. It took a few hours to clear immigration. At first, I feared that this would be a bad omen for the second leg of the field visit but it all went smoothly in the end.

My exchange with the immigration officer was not atypical for my international travel experiences. The immigration officer was perplexed that I looked Indian, but was carrying an official American passport with a Muslim name.  After a long round of questions, he shook his head in amusement at my backstory and asked me to pronounce my name (which I always do in my ingrained New Jersey accent, so I am not sure if that helped matters). Eventually, he let me through after recounting my unconventional background to his fellow officer with a hearty laugh.  I guess there aren’t many South Asian looking women travelling through Sudan on official business.

The good humor of the immigration officer stuck in my mind as we interacted with government officials, university students, local chieftains, and rural women who have had very minimal interaction with Western visitors. The resiliency of the population is striking.

Exploring Sudan and its Nubian History

Although Sudan is not on most conventional travel bucket lists, this whirlwind working trek through Sudan has piqued my interest in returning on my own to explore its history and culture more in-depth.  While on the trip, we learned that the country has more pyramids than Egypt.  Over 200 to explore uninterrupted!  A few can be seen just driving through Khartoum.  A visit to the Nubian pyramid complex in Meroe, capital of the Kushite Empire from the 3rd Century BC – 4th Century AD,  alone would justify a return trip on personal time.

Sudan lies in a geographical area around the ancient Nile River Valley, which formed the center of the Nubian civilization. The exhibitions at the National Museum in Khartoum offer a well-preserved glimpse into the country’s rich Nubian history.  The museum’s artifacts include 3,500-year-old statues of Kushite pharos and ancient temple remains.

Source:  Diakhalil on Wikimedia Commons

The lack of direct flights to the capital is only the tip of the transportation challenges the new Sudanese government hopes to address.  The more extensive Nubian pyramid complexes that have been been excavated are at least about 60 miles north of Khartoum.  Tourism infrastructure needs further development to take full advantage of the historical offerings in Sudan, but a few tour operators have started offering packages from Khartoum that include visits to pyramid complexes and traditional dance shows.

Women of Kassala State in Rainbow Colored Toubs

Before the implementation of the FAO project, the women from this conservative village in Northeastern Sudan had no interaction with Westerners. In addition to food security related projects, the women are able to sell handicrafts through fair trade schemes the FAO project is linked to.  The women had never been photographed before our visit. They were extremely pleased to see women in our delegation and felt comfortable raising their concerns about access to health care and other challenges directly with us once the village leaders left us to chat. Thankfully, one of the members in our travel group spoke Arabic which facilitated an uncensored dialogue.

The village women are all wearing the Sudanese national costume for women called toub. The long cloth is wrapped above long-sleeved tops and skirts.  The colorful attire reminded me of Indian saris.   

Celebrating Milestones through Dance

Our experiences on the ground helped soften the country’s conservative image to the outside world.  Traditional dance and music continue to thrive and reflect the influence of the hundreds tribes, ethnicity, and languages found throughout a country as vast as Sudan.  We learned that each ethnic group has its own dance style and costume. Specific songs are devoted to religious and cultural ceremonies or to rites of passage.

Where the Two Niles Meet

Sudan is one of the countries through which the  Nile River flows.  Its main tributaries are the White Nile and Blue Nile, which actually meet in Khartoum.  The “colors” are derived from the sediments in the river and the city.  The city’s 6 million plus residents rely on the Nile for irrigation and food security.

The intersection can be seen from many of the city’s skyscrapers or on a river cruise (though official river cruise options for tourists are still pretty limited).

Khartoum Local Market and Food

A visit to the Omdurman cereal market provided a glimpse into local market interactions and daily life in Khartoum.

We met with the management team which included local women leaders who were working to tackle the challenges of food waste in the market’s storage and distribution systems.

In Sudan, as in the case in many countries in the region, meals are eaten family or communal style around a large shared tray filled with meat, vegetable, salad, and sauces.  The food is consumed using flat bread or a stiff millet porridge known as asida or kisra (and always using just the right hand).  Cheese and desserts are similar to what you find in the Levant region.  To learn more about the Sudanese culinary traditions and recipes visit the Sudanese Kitchen blog.