LITERATURE AND NATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

arabic poetry, nationalism and social changeNotwithstanding the limited appeal of early Sudanese Arabic nationalistpoetry, some poems of the 1920s and 1930s became increasingly read afterindependence, for the simple reason that the early nationalists, at decolonisation,became architects of educational policy and enshrined some of theirgeneration’s works in school curricula. As the Sudanese educational systemexpanded in the postcolonial period, successive cohorts of schoolchildren readanthologies of the founding fathers. Meanwhile, once British repression hadbeen lightened or lifted, some members of the nationalist generation confirmedthis trend by publishing memoirs that chronicled the nationalist movement,and asserted their own central role in its heroic resistance – largely through theexchange of poems (Najila 1964, Kisha 1963, Khayr 1991, Mahjub andMuhammad 1986, ÆUthman n.d., Hamad 1980). Still other nationalist poetsreceived attention posthumously, as historians (not literature experts) publishedspecialised volumes on their life and work (al-Banna 1976, Jibril 1991, ÆAbdAllah 1991).Judging by the spate of Arabic literary studies, biographical dictionaries andposthumous poetry compilations that have been published in the past twentyfiveyears, the Sudan’s poet-nationalists of the 1920s and 1930s are retainingtheir pride of place in the country’s Arabic literary canon – perhaps, in part,because their heady optimism, and their faith in national unity and self-help,now seem so appealing in a region beset by political and economic crises. Takentogether, these works suggest that poetry is still important to the country’s highArabic culture, in spite of the growth of prose forms and of film and soundmedia. Biographical dictionaries are especially fascinating in this regard (Sharkey1995). Profiling early nationalists in anecdotal essays while describing theirprofessional and political trajectories, they confirm verbal prowess and poetic skillas marks of intellectual distinction among educated, Arabic-speaking Sudanese.Early nationalist poetry may be prestigious, but its mass appeal is still open toquestion. As the twentieth century closes and the colonial era further recedes,perhaps the only really popular nationalist poems, among those from the 1920sand 1930s, are the songs of Khalil Farah, lyricist and Æud player extraordinaire.In Khartoum Arabic newspapers, and even in English-language webpages (thelatter catering to Sudanese migrant trans-nationals and to those interestedgenerally in Sudanese affairs), Khalil Farah continues to receive homage andpraise, not so much as an early nationalist, but as the ‘father’ or ‘pioneer’ ofmodern Sudanese music (Sidahmed 1996, Verney 1999). 6The colloquial language of Khalil Farah’s songs has undoubtedly contributedto their appeal. In the 1920s, his songs were able to reach broad audiencesbecause even the illiterate could understand them; the same would be true today.For while the Sudanese government has made enormous strides in expandingthe educational system in the postcolonial era, some analysts estimated that— 175 —www.taq.ir