Africa Is a Country

This is Africa: Sudanese TV in Dubai Edition

This is Africa: Sudanese TV in Dubai Edition

By
Boima Tucker

Sudan's vast diaspora in the Gulf reflected in media available via satellite in Dubai.

A screen grab from Blue Nile TV.

I came across a concert on Sudanese television station Blue Nile TV while flipping through channels in Dubai (lot’s of great music on there). Sudan has been in the news for the repression by the central government in Khartoum in Darfur and its war with South Sudanese fighting for self-determination, but the broadcast I watched reflected a much more upbeat sense of the country. Not sure if it is a channel of the state or the diaspora.

This singer, above, really seemed to get a warm reception, which included rose throwing.  Does anyone recognize him? Perhaps it’s just because of shared language, which means access to a wider audience, but I find it interesting that while Sudan borders many African countries, the text message ticker on the bottom of the screen includes only Arab countries like Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, The UAE, and Yemen, perhaps reflecting Sudan’s large diaspora in the Gulf region.

Further Reading

Not exactly at arm’s length

Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers.

Ruto’s Kenya

Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations.

Between Harlem and home

African postcolonial cinema serves as a mirror, revealing the limits of escape—whether through migration or personal defiance—and exposing the tensions between dreams and reality.

The real Rwanda

The world is slowly opening its eyes to how Paul Kagame’s regime abuses human rights, suppresses dissent, and exploits neighboring countries.

In the shadow of Mondlane

After a historic election and on the eve of celebrating fifty years of independence, Mozambicans need to ask whether the values, symbols, and institutions created to give shape to “national unity” are still legitimate today.

À sombra de Mondlane

Depois de uma eleição histórica e em vésperas de celebrar os 50 anos de independência, os moçambicanos precisam de perguntar se os valores, símbolos e instituições criados para dar forma à “unidade nacional” ainda são legítimos hoje.