Under a makeshift canopy that shuts out the merciless sun, 11 drummers set their hands dancing across traditional Sudanese tablas. The voices of nine singers soar skyward. The fervent performers are all heard loud and clear without a microphone in sight.
Audience member Najla Abdel Rahman Abbas claps along to the music, her face showing both sorrow and exuberance. The timeless lyrics, particularly those for the song “Remember Our Good Days,” strike a deep chord with her. She recently returned to her home in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, after two years of displacement amid the ongoing civil war.
“This was a beautiful reminder of the life and joy that once filled the city’s streets and courtyards,” Ms. Abbas says wistfully between songs, a mix of popular folk tunes and classical ballads.
Why We Wrote This
The devastating war in Sudan has displaced more than 13 million people. A roving band of musicians is bringing Sudanese together to find solace – and joy.
The performance continues past sunset in Omdurman, which is part of the greater Khartoum area and is often referred to as Khartoum’s twin city. It’s just another stop for the Fallah mobile cultural salon, a traveling musical initiative that offers an opportunity for solace – and even joy – during a devastating humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than 13 million Sudanese.
Building on a legacy
Sudan’s army and a paramilitary group have battled for control of the country’s government since war erupted in April 2023. During this upheaval, the mobile salon is trying to make life more normal, says Al-Tayeb Saad Al-Din, the minister of information and culture for Khartoum state.
Since February 2024, the salon has held dozens of free performances. The weekly shows go on in Omdurman despite the risks.
“During one performance in Al-Umda neighborhood, a shell fell during the show,” says Ihab Mahmoud Ibrahim Fallah, the shows’ organizer.
Mr. Fallah says the shows help ensure connection and cultural continuity in the war-torn nation. Before his death about three decades ago, Mr. Fallah’s father, Mahmoud Fallah, left an indelible mark on Sudanese culture with the songs he sang and wrote. Mr. Fallah’s uncle, Ahmed, was an influential poet.
“I’m carrying on my family’s remarkable legacy,” Mr. Fallah says as he gets into a minibus taking him and his band to the venue of the mid-July performance.
Mahmoud Fallah established Fallah House, a performing arts center, in 1967 on Al-Mourada Street in Omdurman to help develop Sudanese folk music. Fallah House eventually became a launching pad for musical giants who are now household names in Sudan, including Abdel Wahab Al-Sadiq, Kamal Terbas, Al-Nour Al-Jilani, and Mahmoud Ali Al-Hajj.
Mahmoud Fallah nurtured young musicians all his life. His son remembers his father’s efforts affectionately.
“His compositions found their way into every Sudanese home, creating a lasting musical legacy that would inspire his children’s work,” Mr. Fallah says.
“The spirit of hope”
The concept of a mobile salon emerged from a deeply personal moment in 2017.
Daoud John, a longtime Fallah House patron, had a serious illness. After Mr. John expressed a desire to attend one of Fallah House’s events, Mr. Fallah brought a small number of musicians directly to Mr. John’s home via the Fallah mobile cultural salon. The salon soon expanded, traveling to celebrate special occasions such as weddings or to bring live music to those who would otherwise not be able to enjoy it. After each tour, the salon returned again to Mr. John’s house to comfort him and cheer him on to an eventual partial recovery.
“We instilled the spirit of hope within him,” Mr. Fallah says.
The salon sought to bring that same spirit to Sudanese residents not long after war broke out. While the conflict has presented challenges, Mr. Fallah has always believed that the salon should carry on.
“We faced dangers as war scattered [Fallah House’s] leadership and members,” Mr. Fallah recalls. “Through continuous searching and calls, I managed to find musicians who, despite the war, remained in Omdurman.”
He organized performances for the public under a hardy neem tree in front of his family’s historic home in Al-Thawra neighborhood. Residents thronged to listen to singing, despite the frequent sounds of bullets and shelling.
The audience numbers swelled with each gathering, but when clashes worsened, Mr. Fallah opted for a monthlong pause in July 2024.
“After briefly stopping due to bombardment dangers, the salon returned stronger,” he says.
Operating under fire
Continuing the salon’s work during the war has been costly, Mr. Fallah says. He initially bore sole financial responsibility as the performances were held near his home.
These days, the salon reduces costs by performing each week in a new public location in the greater Khartoum area and making do with the seating and space available at those sites.
Salon performers and members who help put on the shows work for free but receive support from friends of Salah Abbas, one of the salon’s founders.
“The mobile salon idea is … to send a message that despite the war, the country remains our country,” Mr. Fallah says.
Many Sudanese have fled to South Sudan or other neighboring countries. For those driven away from their homeland by the violence, the salon’s fans and supporters have posted videos of performances on social media. The clips are keeping Sudanese tethered to their culture and country.
“In the beginning, it seemed strange that the salon would continue amid intense artillery bombardment,” says journalist Amir Abdel Majid, who has chronicled the mobile salon’s journey.
But he describes how the salon has “planted tranquility amid fear and broadcast messages of hope, fighting death with the will to live.”
Though the larger war grinds on, Sudan’s army regained control of Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group this year. The salon’s performances in the greater Khartoum area have been a powerful reminder of Sudanese people’s resilience.
“The salon’s presence in liberated areas was a very important community message: People are sitting, for the love of art, and singing in neighborhoods where militias had lived corruptly,” Mr. Majid notes.
Dr. Al-Din, Khartoum state’s minister of information and culture, has seen, as an audience member, how the salon has strengthened the national Sudanese community.
The shows represent “a cultural and creative revival, confirming that war did not affect creativity,” he says.
This article was published in collaboration with Egab, a media startup.
