Patricia Levy - Sudan

Published in 2017 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

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Copyright 2017 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

Third Edition

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Levy, Patricia, 1951- author. | Latif, Zawiah Abdul. author. | Young-Brown, Fiona, author.

Title: Sudan / Patricia Levy, Zawiah Abdul Latif, and Fiona Young Brown.

Other titles: Cultures of the world.

Description: New York : Cavendish Square Publishing, 2017. | Series: Cultures of the world | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016056232 (print) | LCCN 2016057527 (ebook) | ISBN 9781502626110 (library bound) | ISBN 9781502626028 (E-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Sudan--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC DT154.6 .L482 2017 (print) | LCC DT154.6 (ebook) | DDC 962.4--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016056232

Editorial Director: David McNamara

Editor: Kristen Susienka

Copy Editor: Nathan Heidelberger

Associate Art Director: Amy Greenan

Designer: Alan Sliwinski

Production Coordinator: Karol Szymczuk

Photo Research: J8 Media

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The photographs in this book are used with the permission of: Cover, 17, 66 imageBROKER/Alamy Stock Photo; p. MShev/Shutterstock.com.

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

SUDAN TODAY

L OCATED AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE ARAB AND THE AFRICAN worlds, Sudan has been an important site of religious and cultural diversity since ancient times. Once the largest nation on the African continent, it has been home to a number of ancient civilizations since as long ago as 3300 BCE. These included the Kush, the Mero, and the Nubians, all of whom flourished along the Nile, the river that is the lifeblood of Africa. Kingdoms that matched those of ancient Egypt thrived, and so did trade, architecture, and agriculture. Monuments to a golden age gone by still stand upon the desert sands.

For centuries, Sudan was the target of many conquest attempts, both successful and unsuccessful. In 1821, northern Sudan came under Egyptian rule. It later fell into British hands and became a Crown colony in 1899. Under Anglo-Egyptian rule, Sudan became divided in many respects. The North was largely Muslim and Arabicspeaking, while the South was a combination of both Christian and animist peoples, with the English language more widespread. This division would repeatedly rear its head decades later with civil war and the push for South Sudanese separation.

The relationship between Egypt and Britain was often strained, with Sudan caught in the middle of their power struggle. After World War II, a legislature was established and the Sudanese were encouraged to choose between an alliance with Egypt or independence. They chose the latter.

In 1956, the country gained its independence from colonialism, but it has since struggled to create a place for itself on the world economic stage. Cultural, political, and economic imbalances between the North and South soon became inevitable. The first ruling coalition government to be elected after independence quickly broke down and the military seized power. The result has been two lengthy and divisive civil wars, the most recent of which literally split the country into two nations. Much of the ongoing fighting and rebellion was in the southern part of Sudan, where people resisted the imposition of strict Islamic law. They also protested food shortages and lack of economic and humanitarian support during periods of severe drought. South Sudan became an independent nation in 2011, six years after being allowed to create its own government. In addition to war, Sudan has been devastated by poverty and humanitarian crises. Scars of war and famine still run deep through the countrys soul, but hope for a positive future remains.