The Concept:
Over the last few decades, work on Sudan has dealt
primarily with misery. Sudanese and
Sudanists, journalists and practitioners, have written about all the negatives
we can imagine in any one society. This portrait is lacking an important
ingredient. It omits the fact that, at a
very concrete level, Sudanese are working together towards making each other’s
lives better. To explore and illuminate
these processes, our agenda for this symposium is to move into another realm of
critical thought that is more forward looking—the concept of “hope.” Within
this framework, we will consider not only divergent
views and genealogies of hope, but also hope as a method, a pedagogy, and a
significant element in knowledge formation. We follow the notion of “not-yet”
in dealing with the temporal as well as latent qualities in hope. We highlight projects
that focus on moments of human agency, use approaches that are open to the
future, and involve a commitment to progressive change.
Sponsors:
·
Federation
of Sudanese Businessmen and Employers
·
Sondra and
Gerry Hale
·
Impact Hub
Khartoum
·
Sudanese
Knowledge Society
Symposium
Artist: Uz. Ismail Hassan (Bahri University) - See artist's interpretations
The Content of the Day:
The programme includes
keynote presentations, an exhibition, a roundtable, group work, and a closing
session. The evening programme consists of a storytelling session and stories
of hope.
DAY PROGRAMME
|
|
Time
|
Item
|
9.30 am
|
Arrival and Desk Registration (Romaysa
Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim)
|
10 – 10.15
|
Welcome from the Sudanese Knowledge Society
and Overview of the Day (Marwan Awad and Gada Kadoda)
|
10.15 – 11.30
|
The Concept of
Hope: Opening Session
|
The Concept of Failure Challenged: The Politics of Hope (Sondra Hale)
|
|
11.30 – 12
|
Moments and
Practices of Hope: Participants’ Discussion
Audience responding to the morning
programme. These reflections will start with some examples of “Hope in Sudanese Cultures” (Fatima Salah)
Moderator: Dalia Eisa
|
12 – 2 pm
|
Lunch Break &
Exhibition
|
Exhibitors: The Youth
Forum; Practical Action
(Sudan); Sudanese Organisation for Research
and Development (SORD); Barefoot College Solar
Engineers; (ينابيع
الخيرات - الأتحاد التعاوني النسوي المتعدد الأنشطة) Multipurpose Women’s Cooperative Union; Tartar
Studio; Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Community (IEC); and Friends
of Children Society (AMAL).
Coordinators: Fatima Salah, Eman Mahmadin, Sahl
Yassin and Nada Ali
|
|
2 – 3
|
Activating Hope: A
Roundtable
Discussants: Uz. Hadia Hasaballa (Ahfad University
for Women), Dr. Musa Elkhalifa (Omdurman Ahlia University), Uz. Roselinda Shanta
Taw and Uz. Salih Elyisir (Union of Nuba Mountain Students at Sudanese
Universities and Higher Education Institutions/Ascot Cultural Association), Uz.
Sana Makawi (SWRC), and Uz. Sami Salah (Gesr for Development).
Moderator: Sondra Hale
|
3 – 4
|
Moderator: Lena Elshiekh, Impact Hub Khartoum
|
4 – 4.30
|
Coffee/Refreshments
Break
|
4.30 – 5
|
Things Come
Together: Closing Session
Moderators: Sondra Hale and Gada Kadoda
|
7.30 – 9pm
|
Evening Programme
|
Storytelling and
Stories of Hope: Evening Session
Uz. Mohamed Yahia (Alhajjay) (صانع الأمنيات), Uz. Abeer
Rabei Youness (Cairo University) and Uz. Khalil Elmasry (Selmeyya Network,
Egypt) – via video, with audience participation.
Moderators: Nada Mahmoud and Sondra Hale
|
What would participants take away from the
symposium?
We may take away
ideas about the ways in which knowledge is produced out of worthwhile projects
that have used the theoretical lens of hope; the ways that critical education
contains hope; and the ways in which we can conceive of hope as a method.
Information for Participants:
Participation in
this symposium is free and open to the public. However, we require
registration. Please fill out the online registration form.
Planning
Team:
Uz. Fatima
Salah, Uz. Eman Mahmadin, Uz. Hana Elsadig, Uz. Mai Bashir, Eng. Marwan Adam,
Uz. Nada Mahmoud, Uz. Sahl Yassin, Eng. Wigdan Seed Ahmed, and Uz. Yahia Holi.
Support Team:
Eng. Ahmed
Mubarak, Uz. Amal Adam, Uz. Dalia Eisa, Uz. Hamdi Salaheldin, Uz. Lena Elshiekh,
Uz. Nasser Bur, Eng. Rayan Almubarak, Uz. Rofaida Elzubair, Uz. Romaysa
Mohamed, and Uz. Roya Hassan.
Conceptual Coordinators: Dr. Gada Kadoda and Professor Sondra Hale.