Khartoum: Member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Lt. Gen. Engineer Ibrahim Jabir on Saturday received the recommendations of a workshop on the role of drama professionals in Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue, organized by the Global Space Center for Culture and Media at its headquarters in Omdurman.
According to Sudan News Agency, the recommendations called for reviving theater through a new approach that responds to society's needs and urged swift action to revitalize the theater sector and ensure that its message is properly directed toward reforming politics, the economy, and health.
The workshop called on the state to review cultural and arts institutions, provide funding and equipment for theater, and grant theater professionals freedom of expression as well as health and social care. It also called for involving creative professionals in planning for the post-war phase.
It further called on the Ministry of Culture and Information to provide trucks suitable for mobile theaters, following the model of traveling cinemas.
The recommendations also called for the resumption of the National Culture Festival, with a different state hosting it each time. The Artists' Union was urged to work toward ending conflicts and unifying efforts in theater as a step toward promoting social unity, in addition to improving the artistic and intellectual quality of productions.
The recommendations stressed that creative professionals should not use artificial intelligence as a substitute for their own work, but rather as an assisting tool, and called for a dedicated workshop on the subject.
They also recommended reintroducing theater as a subject in the school curriculum, with a focus on younger generations.
TSC Member Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Jabir said Sudan had faced one of the most dangerous wars targeting its existence and people, as well as the most brutal incitement of hatred and tribalism. He added that, through the will of its people, Sudan had overcome those hardships and proved that it is a 'nation that cannot be defeated by adversity.'
Jabir affirmed that efforts would continue to cleanse the country of the rebellion of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and build a Sudan that embraces everyone and enjoys peace and stability. He announced the addition of drama and music to school curricula, the rehabilitation of theaters, and the provision of the necessary facilities for artistic work. He also called on drama professionals to establish a mechanism for communication with the government and set a timetable for implementing the workshop's recommendations, which he said came at a time when post-war national development projects were getting underway.
For his part, Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Al-Eisir revealed that a foreign engineering team was preparing to construct a large indoor theater in Khartoum to international standards, in addition to rehabilitating and constructing similar theaters in state capitals. He said that the arts in general, and drama in particular, could contribute to raising awareness and promoting coexistence, reaffirming his ministry's support for drama professionals.
Khartoum State Minister of Culture and Information Al-Tayeb Saad-Eddin, representing the State Wali, reiterated the state's support for drama professionals and noted that they had played important roles during the war and following the liberation of the state.
Dr. Faisal Ahmed Saad, representing the Global Space Center, said the workshop had discussed four important papers on the role of drama professionals in promoting the value of dialogue and rejecting hate speech. He said it was the first time drama professionals had participated in decision-making and dialogue to help shape Sudan's future, calling on the government to provide support to them.