Revolutionary Graffiti in Khartoum

In 2019, the Sudanese people successfully rose up against a decade long dictatorship. One of the key features of the Sudanese uprising was the enormous outpour of street are and graffiti. In January 2020, Josepha Wessels, a senior lecturer of communication for development at Malmö University (Sweden),took 75 photos of the graffiti walls in central Khartoum and plotted them on this story map. Stories of the graffiti, how it was made, who was the artist and its symbolism will guide us into shedding light how this revolutionary art contributes to a process of social and political change in Sudan. Part of the discourse analysis is conducted by Ahmad Naji in the framework of a BA thesis in peace and conflict studies at Malmö University in 2020 entitled "Graffiti as Voice for Voiceless People - Critical discourse analysis of Sudanese graffiti during Sudanese revolution 2019."

Naji, A. & Wessels, J.I. (2023) “Street Art and Graffiti of the Sudanese Revolution of 2019 as medium for social change” in ART AGAINST AUTHORITARIANISM: AESTHETIC ACTIVISM IN POST-ARAB SPRING MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, UK: Bloomsbury UK (under review).

Wessels, J.I. (2022) “The role of the Sudanese Professionals Association in the Revolution of 2019 towards development and social change” in Strategic Communication Management for Development and Social Change: Governance, Sustainability and Participatory Perspectives in Africa by Tsietsi Mmutle, Tshepang Molale, Olebogeng Selebi, Olanrewaju Olugbenga Akinola (eds.), Routledge, UK (under review).

Wessels, J.I. (2022) “Graffiti and Mural Arts for Visions of Sustainable Futures in Sudan”, Storytelling and collaborative future making – symposium at Malmö University, 23-25 May, 2022.

Wessels, J.I. (2021) “Graffiti for Social Change and Sustainable Development in Sudan”, Nordmedia Conference, Division 5: Media, Globalization and Social Change, 18-20 August 2021, On-line edition.

Wessels, J.I. (2021) K3 Public Research Seminar (online) on 12 May 2021, entitled “Sustainable Sudan and ArcGIS story maps; graffiti and environmentalism for the future”. Recordings available online:  https://play.mau.se/media/t/0_lwmpiq84/306250 

Naji, A. and Wessels, J.I. (2021) Street Art and Graffiti of the Sudanese Revolution of 2019 as medium for social change, paper presentation "Arts & the City Conference", Track: Art and aesthetics of urban social movement conference, 8-30 April, 2021, Aarhus University, On-line edition.

Naji, A. (2020) Graffiti as Voice for Voiceless People - Critical discourse analysis of Sudanese graffiti during Sudanese revolution 2019, MA-Thesis, Malmö University. Available online:  https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1529127/FULLTEXT02