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Review:
The Sudan has seen much needed attention in the news recently -- unfortunately due to internal warring and genocide -- and has now been made perhaps one of the remote and impoverished places on the planet. And yet culturally it has been the foundation of centuries of civilization.
As a small counter to all of the bad press coming from the Sudan, here is a sample from a Sudanese artist named Wafir whose musicianship extends the traditions of the Sudanese culture. From his CD liner notes: "One of the greatest African civilizations was created on the riverbanks of the Nile from its agriculture, natives and nomads. It was a culture that strove against Pharaonic Egypt in power and wisdom, when Europe was still walking in loin cloths, and through whose mysterious corners we were transported Sudanese rhythms from Wafir."
Wafir, a multi-instrumentalist is a master oud and accordian player. He has been the backbone of two fusion bands based in Madrid: Radio Tarifa and La Banda Negra. His song 'Sukkar' (Sugar) is an upbeat tribute to the Sudanese:
'Sugar. Good hearted people stay together
People with voices of sugar and smiles of honey
You are kind people, with delightful eyes
Stay as beautiful and as sweet as you are'
— CalabashMusic.com
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