The Sudanese Students Society at the University of Regina organized a tabling event called “Sip of Culture” in the Riddell Centre on Jan. 22, 2025. The event created awareness about the ongoing civil crisis in Sudan.
According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the crisis in Sudan began in April of 2023 as an aftermath of violent clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Moving into its second year now, the conflict has resulted in the displacement of more than 11.5 million people and exacerbated previously ongoing conflicts along with issues related to the health, economy and political instability in the country, the report said.
SSS student volunteers sold Sudanese drinks and snacks to raise funds for charities that support people in Sudan. Fatima Elawad, a second-year psychology major at the UofR, belongs to the team of organizers and was present at the event. She emphasized the importance of awareness about the crisis in Sudan.
“Fifty per cent of Sudan’s population right now is on the verge of a hunger crisis and a lot of people do not know that. It’s a problem with the government [of Sudan] that we have right now and it’s affecting the innocent civilians,” said Elawad.
Elawad mentioned having family members who must flee the country to escape the violence and “take refuge in other countries.”
“If we put ourselves in their shoes, picking up where you left off in a whole new country when everything back home is broken, and your livelihood has been destroyed, is difficult. We’re trying to raise awareness because people don’t know it’s as severe as it is,” she said.
Elawad believes that part of the reason for the unawareness is that “they don’t want to be aware.”“People think it is regular [for third world countries] but it’s not regular, so people do need to know that even though they are not experiencing it, it does not make it okay for anyone else to experience it,” she said.
Fatima Anees, a third-year psychology major who was also present at the event, believes that university students do not hear about the crisis in their classes and from other people and that events such as these play an important role in starting a conversation and spreading the word.
“It’s mainly Sudanese people that are talking about it and we all have tight-knit circles, and other people might not be around us. I think when people stop by and we say, ‘Hey this is for charity,’ we tell them what it’s about and they at least hear that something is happening in another part of the world,” said Anees. Anees also said she believes that Western media ignores what is going on in Sudan.
Mayada Majien, a second-year kinesiology major emphasized that the event is an attempt to figure out different ways to incorporate and engage more and more people to learn about the history, culture and heritage of Sudan. “Sometimes they’re scared to try new things or learn about new things, so this is like a new idea to try to get them to learn,” she said..
The SSS students said they received a positive response from the students who stopped by at their table. The SSS plans to do more events to raise as much awareness as they can about Sudan and the ongoing crisis.
