“Askari”: a decolonial rereading of Sudanese history 

Growing up and attending Egyptian public schools, Cairo-based artist of Sudanese descent Amado Alfadni was constantly faced with the negative depictions of his people in textbooks, “In a history lesson on Mohammed Ali Pasha’s recruitment of Sudanese slaves in his army, my teacher commented that they were done away with in favour of Egyptian conscripts instead. They were lazy and couldn’t fight, he said,” reflects Alfadni.

As he grew older and more concerned with these adverse portrayals of the Sudanese in Egyptian popular culture, Alfadni conducted extensive research into the history of his people. “I found that the Sudanese soldiers had been replaced due to other factors. Around 500,000 soldiers were recruited at Darfur and made to march through the desert to Asyut, with only 20 per cent of them surviving the trek.” This research would lead Alfadni into archival art, and into his project “Askari” which was recently exhibited in Amsterdam.

“Askari”, derived from the Arabic word for soldier, tells the story of the Sudanese slave soldiers who served in colonial armies stretching from the Ottomans to the Germans to the British. The selling of these slaves to various European armies would see numbers of Sudanese soldiers being sent as far afield as Mexico and South America. “I came across the story of a Sudanese soldier fighting in the British army in Mexico and was fascinated. I immediately embarked on building a visual document to tell the story of these unknowns, whose fates were left in the dustbin of history,” shares Alfadni.

“I use Dutch wax fabrics and inlay in them a sort of positive propaganda- this method is a direct reaction to colonial era fabrics which were sent to ingrain a colonised mindset in the conquered in Africa,” notes Alfadni on his medium. “From the 19^th century, fabrics were sent from Europe to Africa emblazoned with symbols of colonialism- the haloed white Jesus, messaging from the Dutch and British East India Companies, and wording in praise of colonialist concepts. My work tries to negate this messaging by using a counter-propaganda.” Featuring portraits of dashing Sudanese soldiers in military garb, pictured in striking pastel colours, the subjects of “Askari” appear dignified and, as Alfadni notes, biblical. “The stories of many of these people echo the stories of biblical personalities. Taken away from their families, stripped of their names, sold into slavery, and made to fight wars in the service of those who colonised them.”

When asked about the dignified manner in which the subjects are presented, Alfadni notes the influence of Christian iconography and colouring on his works. “The iconography of the Church uses intricate colours and motifs to convey the dignity of the Messiah or of the Madonna. I try to use this method to give dignity to these soldiers- a dignity they were denied in their lives and their deaths.”

Alfadni’s fascination with the subject of colonised soldiers serving in colonial powers is not only a fascination with history–to him it is equally relevant in the contemporary era. “In these days where Sudan is mired in war and bloodshed, and the Sudanese people find themselves in a sort of identity crisis, caught between their Arabness and their blackness, it becomes ever more acute to be reminded of the unique historical legacy of the Sudan region,” notes Alfadni.

Ottoman and, latterly, British colonisation of Sudan split the peoples of Sudan into hierarchical positions based largely on their skin colour and the respective ethnic groups’ relation to the colonial power. “I fear, that the Sudanese people have ingested these notions imposed on them by the colonial powers. So, it becomes important to remember the history–that since biblical times, Sudanese soldiers were hailed for their prowess, renowned in the ancient world for their skill as archers, and during the early Islamic period, were a competitive power to the Arab kingdoms in the Hegaz and Southern Arabia. We are not a nation of “lazy” and “incompetent” people, as once told to me by my history teacher.”

Alfadni began working on “Askari” in 2016 as a simple research project. The work has since taken him from Morocco to Brussels to research the history of the forgotten African soldiers. The works are attractive because of their rich colouring, no doubt, but what is even more compelling is the deep socio-political commentary that the pieces evoke and narrate. They offer an alternative history, raising the stature of the subjects they depict and honouring them in death as they had not been in life.

“As much as it excites me to create socially relevant art, “Askari” is equally therapeutic for me as someone who has faced racism and the false histories told about my people. It is important for me, and all people, to remember the real history and understand the whys and hows that led to the gross misrepresentation of a proud people in the popular consciousness.”