How Sudan’s uprising is inspiring a generation of Sudanese American teens

By Hana Baba

Nearly two dozen people are gathered for a symposium in Hayward, California, about the recent protests in Sudan. Those who come to these Sudan-related events are usually adults — first-generation Sudanese immigrants to the United States.

But it’s different tonight. The featured speakers are Sudanese American teenagers.

First up is 17-year-old Maazin Ahmed, whose mother is Sudanese and father is African American. Maazin is the president of his college’s Black Students Union in Berkeley, California, a city familiar with protests. He says he grew up seeing pictures of his mom sporting an afro in the 70s in Sudan. She told him stories about better times in her home country.

Maazin is used to organizing, but it’s his first time addressing his Sudanese community elders. He draws parallels between the American civil rights movement and the uprising in Sudan. He points to the 60s, when the Black Panther party came about in the US.

‘“That’s how [the civil rights movement] started — with the youth, and that’s what they’re doing in Sudan.”

“That’s how it started — with the youth, and that’s what they’re doing in Sudan,” he says.

Sudan is in its third month of protests sparked by the rising cost of bread and escalated to calling for an end to the 30-year rule of President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur. Bashir is also accused of heading a brutal dictatorship that includes corruption and flagrant human rights violations. The internet has been abuzz with videos of the protests and his government’s brutal crackdown on protesters. Amnesty International estimates more than 45 people have died, 180 have been injured, and thousands have been arrested so far.

Sudanese demonstrators march during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 24, 2019.

The uprising has inspired a new generation of Sudanese American youth like Maazin to get politically engaged with their motherland for the first time. Many of their parents migrated to the US years ago to flee the Bashir regime. These days, their American homes are filled with Sudanese protest music and excitement at the near-daily demonstrations, but also disgust and anxiety about the crackdown.

The teens have joined and organized Sudanese solidarity protests in cities such as Washington, DC, and San Francisco. They’re making protest art and marching alongside their parents, waving flags and chanting slogans against the Sudanese government in Arabic and English. And they’re watching what’s happening in Sudan via Instagram and Twitter, following hashtags like #SudanRevolts and #SudanUprising.

Another speaker at the Feb. 23 event in Hayward is 16-year-old Haifaa Abushaiba. Her parents drove 40 miles so she could participate. She gets close to the mic and slips between English and Arabic. It’s Arabeezy, a kind of teen-speak.

“We’re gonna be the generation that’s gonna write the new constitution. … We’re going to be the generation that is gonna bring democracy to Sudan.”

“We’re gonna be the generation that’s gonna write the new constitution,” she says. “We’re going to be the generation that is gonna bring democracy to Sudan.”

‘Your people wanting freedom just makes you proud’

Since the protests began in December, Sudanese families worldwide have been glued to Facebook and WhatsApp, following the uprising on their screens. They share grainy videos of protesters marching, chanting — and in many cases, being chased by security trucks. Sometimes they’re hauled onto them and beaten. And sometimes, protesters are shot down.

Haifaa says she was amazed that people would still take to the streets the day after facing violence. She would grab her phone after watching a protest video and run to share what she’d seen with her friends.

“… I explain to them that this is my home. These are my people. And I should be proud of them. They walk the streets and they ask for freedom, and they fear nothing!”

Haifa Abushaiba, 16, Sudanese American activist

“And I would say, ‘Look what my people do!’” she says. “And I explain to them that this is my home. These are my people. And I should be proud of them. They walk the streets and they ask for freedom, and they fear nothing!”

The events are changing the way Sudanese American teens like her relate to Sudan, and how they identify themselves in the US. For example, prior to the protests, Haifaa said, “there’s nothing to brag about” when it comes to Sudan, and she used to identify herself as black or African American.