A documentary by Hind Meddeb
In December 2018, sparked by shortages of affordable bread and fuel, mass protests erupted in Sudan. What began as an outcry over living conditions quickly evolved into a full-blown popular uprising against the decades-long dictatorship of President Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan, Remember Us follows the revolution through the eyes of two young women: filmmaker Hind Meddeb and activist Maha Elfaki. Both were on the ground in Khartoum in early 2019 as the area around the army headquarters became the heart of the protest movement.
Meddeb – who directs, shoots and narrates the film – captures those hopeful days with intimacy and urgency. The streets are alive with young people, especially women, asserting their right to speak, sing and dream. A protester chants, “Oh people, let’s break the silence, protect me and I’ll protect you.” Another declares, “We’re in exile in our own country.” Women are not just visible – they are the backbone of the revolution.
But dreams alone don’t keep revolutions safe. The threat of the Secret Service looms constantly. “They’re the worst – they don’t wear uniforms,” one activist warns. Agents could be standing beside you in the supermarket one day, and arresting you the next. Although al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019, the military leaders who followed quickly resorted to violence to suppress the sit-in.
Meddeb does not flinch from showing this turn. Her lens shifts to claustrophobic, window-framed shots that capture the fear and silence settling over deserted streets.
By the end of the documentary, the young visionaries we’ve come to know – including Meddeb and Elfaki – are in exile. Sudan’s struggle continues, with its new leaders embroiled in a bloody contest for power and resources.
Yet Sudan, Remember Us reminds us of the power of collective dreaming. Like the Arab Spring that inspired it, Sudan’s revolution is not dead – only deferred.
