Arts from the memory of Omdurman.. Al-Amin Al-Kindi: My mother has poems that are circulated within the family

Omdurman coffee shops are frequented by poets and members of parliament

I witnessed the honoring of Gamal Abdel Nasser and the concert of Umm Kulthum

Abu Salah is a man of few words, he only discusses poetry with poets like him

Al-Amin Al-Kindi is a man who pushed the artistic scene with artists “music and theater”, as the audience knows his star sons, the Canadian theater artist Al-Amin, and the artist and singer Salah Al-Amin are a model for the people of Omdurman who are known for their good company and hospitality since the beginning of the city’s formation during the Mahdist era, as the city is inhabited by all the faces and tribes of Sudan, and the common denominator between them was the spirit of harmony and saturation with the spirit of Omdurman authenticity, all families know each other and the doors are wide open to every student of knowledge and work on condition that you imbibe the culture of Omdurman, and this gives you the right to reside and participate in all the joys and sorrows.

The Canadian Secretary, the encyclopedia of culture, art, sports, and every field deserves to have a space dedicated to memories and stories

Interview: Ibrahim Al-Jak – Walid Al-Ashi

Although his sons are stars in the artistic arena, he confirmed that the family does not have a great connection to art, meaning that it does not have a famous poet or playwright. “But my mother had poems that were circulated within the family and neighborhood, I also had attempts at poetry, but they were few and circulated within the scope of work and family.” He said.

The Secretary says that Omdurman is a city of hustle and bustle and was a crucible for all types of arts. “Some evening gatherings were held in the Workers Club, and it witnessed the launch of the first theatrical works before moving to the Radio House and the National Theater in the early sixties and late seventies, and the most famous playwrights at that time were Al-Fadil Saeed and Mahmoud Siraj Abu Qaboura.” He added.

He also witnessed the glory of the National Theatre, its concerts and guests. “The National Theatre was full of artists, and among the most famous concerts I witnessed was the honoring of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the concert held by the artist Umm Kulthum, in the presence of Ahmed Al-Mustafa, Othman Hussein and Al-Kabli, who sang Egypt, O Sister of My Country, O Sister.” He said.

It is noteworthy that Omdurman is in contact with the outside world, as Al-Arabi magazine is brought from Kuwait and Rose Al-Youssef from Egypt and distributed in all libraries, and library patrons used to stand in lines to obtain copies.

Among the cultural landmarks in old Omdurman are the coffee shops, which brought together artists and produced the most beautiful texts. “The most famous coffee shops in our time were the coffee shops of Gog Mashreqi, Sayed, Shadid, Wad Al-Hussein, Haj Ali, Al-Haddad, and Wad Al-Agha, where the evenings were noisy and all the coffee shops were full of customers from different classes of society. Poets and members of parliament were present daily to chat, think, and revive the intellectual renaissance in Omdurman.” He added.

“Social relations were also distinctive in Omdurman, I was friends with the poet Abu Salah, who was a man of few words and spent most of his time writing poetry. He was stingy with his friends and did not tend to discuss poetry except with poets like him during the evenings in the coffee shops frequented by his peers, such as Sayed Abdel Aziz, Wad Al-Banna, Abdel Rahman Al-Reeh, and Ibrahim Al-Abbadi.” He continued.