What I stumbled upon yesterday

Hi readers!

Protestors holding both Sudanese flags

As you know, I study in Washington, D.C. Living in such a vibrant city comes with many perks, the best of which I believe to be the availability of the National Mall. I had been having a rough day yesterday, ultimately wrapping myself in my blankets and binging a Netflix documentary. My phone rang, my best friend’s name on the screen. I picked up the FaceTime call, immediately overwhelmed by the shouting voices, music, and chatter in the background of the call. My friend was at the Lincoln Memorial, witnessing some form of a protest.

I decided it was a gorgeous day and I needn’t waste it. I unbundled myself from my bed and got dressed to walk down to the mall.

As I approached the Lincoln, I could see the marble steps leading down to the Reflecting Pool were more crowded than usual. The noise I’d heard on the FaceTime call was now clear, but the words being spoken were not English. As a student of French and Spanish, I can hear and identify many languages. This one was extremely foreign to me.

I caught sight of my friend and ran up to her. She was standing in the middle of the steps, buried in a family of tourists witnessing the event. She explained the information she had gathered while I was walking to her: this was a protest for the violence in Sudan, and the language was Arabic.

We walked down the steps to a setup of some sort. Dozens of human skulls were laid out on a black blanket with posters in Arabic surrounding them. My friend and I stared at the skulls, confused about their meaning.

A voice appeared behind us asking if we wanted to know the significance of this setup. My friend and I nodded eagerly.

The voice belonged to Wafa May Elamin. Wafa explained that the skulls represented the deaths of peaceful protesters. Just yesterday, several more were killed, including children, she said. Symbolic skulls were not added to the group for them.

Wafa explained that she used to live in Sudan, but she and her family left years ago, before the coup. She explained their departure as the same as many others who left to pursue lives where they could use their intellectual abilities. There is little opportunity for that in Sudan, she said.

Wafa spoke to me in between hugs from and conversations with other protestors. She described the two Sudanese flags to my friend and I: the official flag, as well as the tri-color blue, yellow, and black flag, each color representing an integral aspect of the country. She spoke with hope and pride for her country, highlighted in this flag.

Wafa was overwhelmed with hope yesterday, grateful for the police aid in their peaceful protest in the United States, and looking to the future for Sudan. Speaking with her was truly enlightening, as I sometimes become caught in my American, Trump-induced problems. I hope this post inspires you to step outside yourself and do something you would not otherwise do, as well sheds some light on life for the international community.

For more information on Sudan, I suggest this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-25427965