On the morning of April 15th, 2023, war broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces of the General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Buhran, and the paramilitary group of the Rapid Secure Forces, under the command of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, called “Hemetti”.

Led by two men, blinded by power, this war has already in its first weeks killed hundreds of civilians, and displaced thousands upon thousands, both in and out of Sudan. The clashes are ongoing, in the capital Khartoum, and in major cities around the country, with once again, Darfur being particularly hit.

The area of Downtown Khartoum and Khartoum 2, which are known to be the artistic neighborhood of the capital, have been heavily destroyed by airstrikes and shootings. Numerous artists spent the first few days of the war being trapped in those incredibly dangerous places, which used to be full of art galleries and music, painting studios. As most of them have been able to reach relatively safer areas, they are now faced with the following issue: the complete lack of possibility to make any money. Even if they could access their art spaces and produce, who can afford to buy ? Numerous artists used their art as the main source of revenues for their families.

Rahiem Shadad (Downtown Gallery, Khartoum), Azza Satti (Curator, Nairobi), and Mahasin Ismail (Curator, Khartoum) have managed to collect data on their situation and their financial needs to develop a catalog through which you can discover the artists and aid them for the months to come.

How it works & how you can help

There are two ways through which you can support an artist in our campaign:

1) Make a general donation!

You can make a general donation and we will send your donation to the next artist the most in need on the data we collected.

2) Select an artist that you want to sponsor!

You can email us and our team will immediately process your request to donate, and link you with the artists for a follow-up!

How much should you donate?

Of course, any amount is welcome. But as a general information, in the data collected from the artists, a majority stated that the amount of $200 is needed for them to cover their emergencies. (see the chart below)

This is why we feel it’s the appropriate amount for general donations and the sponsorship of an artist. 

For further inquiries, please email:

sol.downtown.gallery@gmail.com

Thank you,

Rahiem, Azza and Mahasin.