Les fresques murales à Khartoum pendant la révolution soudanaise de décembre 2018

Généralisation et politisation d'un phénomène artistique

Abstract

In Sudan, the revolution that began in December 2018 has led to many changes on the political, economic, ideological, and socio-cultural levels. One of the most visible changes is the explosion of street art in the capital. This article is based on a field survey of pictorial artists who created works on the walls of Khartoum during this revolutionary moment. The aim of this article is to trace the rapid evolution of street art, from its near absence to its current omnipresence, with a particular focus on the tipping point represented,  by the ‘sit-in’ held in front of the national army headquarters. The appropriation of a central space over a long period of time, freed from the surveillance and state repression that previously affected these expressions, allowed new forms of artistic and political discourse to emerge. The ’sit-in’ marked a turning point in the place occupied by mural painting in the local collective imagination. This article illustrates the shift of street art  from a marginal practice to a form of popular expression, which contributed (and continues to contribute) to the politicization of the urban space of the "New Sudan" claimed by the revolutionaries.