Sudan, Remember Us: capturing the sacrifice and jubilation of the Sudanese revolution

Sudan, Remember Us begins as an epistolary exchange between director Hind Meddeb and acquaintances and comrades experiencing the throes of political turmoil in Sudan. Shot over four years, it flits between the hopeful period of the 2018-19 uprising which saw the end of president Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year rule, and four years later, in the aftermath of a coup led by General al-Burhan that overthrew the fragile transitional civilian government.

At times, Meddeb is referred to as “that stranger”, but this belies the warm, familiar rapport she shares with her subjects. Her own heritage – Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan – allows the French-born director/journalist to justify her position and put Sudan’s struggle into wider Arab and African contexts. This all makes for a documentary that manages to portray the jubilation, promises and sacrifices of a popular revolution.

Early on, we hear that “War destroys absolutely every aspect of our lives,” but graphic scenes of destruction are sidestepped. Instead, Meddeb focuses on community-led construction. We are taken to the frontline not of the conflict, but where the social and cultural work of sustaining popular resistance and the frank conversations that accompany this labour occur. Each creative and communal endeavour is infused with revolutionary rhetoric about a pluralist, egalitarian Sudan. The most memorable scenes show moments of collective song, breaking fast, impassioned poetry recitals, and the painting of memorials and slogans on any available surface. They capture the confusing blend of grief, determination and reverie of a people grappling with simultaneous love and despair for their country.

Meddeb’s camera roams Khartoum, while segments shot on phones in her absence foreground our relationship with screen culture at a time when atrocities are livestreamed directly to and from handheld devices. Even so, as Meddeb notes, “Here in France, there’s not much talk about the war in Sudan.” The same can be said for the UK and much of mainstream media, with the world’s worst humanitarian crisis not just forgotten but actively ignored. In this context, the film bears witness to testimonies and aspirations, taking us to fervent street scenes of civilians unwaveringly committed to the future of their country. Employing minimal narration or directorial interjection while amplifying the voices of Sudanese people, Meddeb crafts a timely, arresting portrait of everyday revolutionaries, materialising their chant for the wider world to hear: “Whether or not the dictatorship falls, we are here.”

► Sudan, Remember Us is in UK cinemas 27 June.