Art in Times of War: Roses Grow from the Rubble| Sudanow Magazine

PortSudan, (Sudanow) — Amid the rubble of war, while cities groaned under the weight of shelling, he chose to paint a message of hope. In that grim, gray landscape, where the only sound was the roar of explosions, Sudanese artist Sahl Al-Tayeb, who had long worked in the shadows, practiced his ancient craft as a calligrapher and muralist. This time, however, he wasn’t painting commercial slogans; he was writing a new history.

Sahl took his brush, accustomed to crafting letters and colors, and used it to breathe life into dilapidated walls. He transformed barren, war-torn places into vibrant canvases of hope. His project wasn't merely a work of art, but an act of silent resistance, born from his belief that art should never be absent from any human activity and that the most beautiful roses can grow from the rubble.

"I can't forget the first days of the war when I started my mural project by cleaning up a pile of dirt near my house and then coloring it," Sahl recounts. "I worked alone, immersed in people's questions and amazement at what I was doing. A little girl came up to me, looked at my colors, and said she would tell her father to hire me to clean the yard in front of their house. I smiled at her and quietly continued my work. I didn't feel insulted or consider her words a joke or a dismissal of my efforts. On the contrary, I was very happy that I was a visible being through her eyes and that I must reach the rest of the people who notice the rose growing from the rubble."

Sahl added, "Before the war, I worked as a calligrapher for cloth banners in the Omdurman market. I had previously failed to get into the College of Fine Arts, so I returned to working as a boy in an advertising shop. I was obsessed with the experience as an amateur and a simple worker. One of my early attempts at coloring a wall might have led me to participate in the protest murals. I believe that art should not be absent from any interactive or humanitarian activity. I went there voluntarily without any political or regional affiliation, and I was one of the first participants. After that, I participated outside the state in Um Ruwaba and Abu Jebeiha, representing only myself and not any political party."

Sahl returned to the capital to participate in various places, such as schools and the family club in Khartoum, as part of a distinguished team of plastic artists (although he did not present himself as one but remained committed to his role as a citizen, taking initiative in beautification projects).

During the war, Sahl tried to return to his favorite hobby, but he didn't find sufficient interest except for the sincere and vital cooperation of his friend and colleague, Mr. Abdalbaqi Hussein. From there, the journey began with very few materials and a lot of enthusiasm.

The project's main idea was to instill a spirit of optimism among citizens. They started their work on Nile Street and Al-Bosta neighborhood, where there were some militia pockets in parts of Ombada and Salha. "My message was specifically directed at those people," Sahl said. "I intended to surprise them after they moved to relatively safe areas by letting them see something that pleased their eyes."

"I began working at Khartoum Hospital before the employees arrived at their offices. I also wanted to surprise them when they found that I had preceded them and announced to them, through these small touches, that we exist, that we will forget our great pains, and that we will move forward."

"The war has imposed a new reality on us, but it also stirs in us all the motives to overcome and move forward," Sahl says. "Therefore, we will continue despite our wounds, and we will continue because there are people who died for us, and there are those who stood with us and supported us. We will remember our children, whom we have put in this pit, and they deserve for us to build them a country that resembles them."

Sahl offered a valuable advice on the role of art in raising public awareness. He said that the tools of art, culture, and literature should not be used for political mobilization, which would detach them from their essential role in serving the country and its citizens. Art and culture work together like a needle and thread, bringing all of Sudan together in one melting pot, without fuss and with an organized and beautiful fabric.

"We have young people in the prime of their lives dying every day because of tribalism," Sahl added. "Some of them die before we can get our message to them about how to create a culturally extended society that carries many fraternal bonds. We could have used this trait to unify our collective conscience. For example, folk arts, the expressive tools they carry, and the beautiful fabric presented through all Sudanese heritage."

The artist Sahl Al-Tayeb sent a message to the Sudanese governments to pay attention to culture and not consider it as a tool for decoration. Neglecting art has cost us a lot and may cost us more if we don't address this major imbalance.

Some may think that art is just a tool for decoration or an intellectual luxury, but for Sahl, art is like the thread that gathers the fragments of a nation. Sahl was not looking for fame or recognition as an artist; rather, he was a proactive citizen who believed in art's ability to overcome destruction. His message, directed to everyone through his paintings, is that war imposes a new reality, but it also stirs in us all the motives to overcome and move forward. This artist proved that art does not need institutions or titles to perform its supreme role. Instead, its role should be to unify the collective conscience and build a future worthy of those who sacrificed for it and for the children who deserve a country that resembles them—a country decorated with hope and art, not with blood.

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