The voice of The plains and The Earth departed
21 December, 2025
PortSudan(Sudanow)- Sudan lost a fundamental pillar and one of the pillars of art last Tuesday. It lost a cornerstone on which the concept of musical diversity and richness relied. The music icon the singer, Dr. Abdel Gader Salim, passed away after a struggle with illness at his home in Omdurman. The singer of heritage departed, and a voice carrying the scent of the plains and the earth went silent. A melody that was a guide to cities and villages stopped. He blended heritage with music and presented an eternal artistic product, building a bridge between authenticity and modernity.
Abdel Gader Salim was born in 1946 in Daling, South Kordofan state, where his voice took shape, carrying the geography and history of the place. He graduated from the Dleng Teachers' Training Institute, carrying a message that wasn't separate from art, as knowledge for him was completed by beauty.
In 1964, he joined the Kordofan Arts Troupe in El-Obeid, North Kordofan state, and a voice rich with Kordofan flavor emerged. The year 1970 was a turning point in his life when he joined the Higher Institute of Music and Drama, graduating as an artist with a bachelor's degree, combining innate talent with systematic study.
Then his voice took off, and he made his way to reach the vast expanses of Sudan, introducing Kordofan's heritage and its people. Sudanese memory preserved many of his timeless works, and television immortalized his filmed performances linked to heritage and the land, especially since he was a researcher in Sudanese traditional music, particularly Kordofan's.
He earned a master's degree in 2002, then a Ph.D. in 2005 from the Sudan University of Science and Technology on the singing patterns of the Kordofan region and the role of environmental influences in shaping them.
Abdel Gader Salim's activities weren't limited to singing only; he wrote about the music and traditional Kordofan music, presented scientific papers, and played a significant role in establishing Kordofan heritage within a scientific context.
He then went out to the world carrying his homeland with him, as an artistic ambassador. He participated in several festivals in Europe, and audiences there got acquainted with music coming from the depths of Africa, diverse in rhythm, rich in content, and delightful to listen to.
Abdel Gader Salim didn't spare his professional role; he worked as a teacher, then director of a Sudanese-Chadian school in Chad, and an educational supervisor. He founded the N'Djamena Artists Union and was seconded to teach at the College of Music.
He held positions in the World People's Friendship Council, worked as an assistant professor at the University of Khartoum's Faculty of Education, and was an active member of the Sudanese Artists Union since 1975. He held the positions of Cultural Secretary, then General Secretary, and later President.
He received the Silver Order of Science and Literature in 1976 and the State Encouragement Award in 1983. But his greatest honor was in people's love and their passion for him.
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