Fans mark fourth anniversary of death of Sudanese singer with songs and tears

Fans of the Sudanese singer Mahmoud Abdelaziz commemorated the fourth anniversary of his death under the title “Fi Bali” at Khartoum stadium on Tuesday, many of them weeping and chanting his songs.

Khartoum Stadium, which can accommodate up to 45,000 people, was overcrowded with young men and women on Tuesday.

Mahmoud Abdelaziz fans chanted a large number of his songs, with tears flowing from their eyes saying “we will not forget you”.

Singer Mahmoud Abdelaziz died on 17 January 2013, leaving behind dozens of songs for the Sudanese library, including a song titled El Fat Zaman.

According to blog muftah.org, “unmoved by Sudan’s brutal political system, Abdel Aziz lived a lifestyle that was true to himself, and managed to cross social, class, and racial boundaries with his unassuming manner. For many, he represented the voice of the people, especially the youth.

“These were some of the reasons Abdelaziz was so beloved by a people worn-thin by a brutal regime. Known for appearing drunk or drugged in public, Abdelaziz had a well-earned reputation for receiving public floggings from security officials. Because intensifying his punishment only increased his fame, the regime never knew quite how to deal with the beloved singer,” the blog explains.

“Abdelaziz embodied a simple, indiscriminate acceptance of humanity, at its best and worst. In many ways his egalitarianism was the dream of what Sudan could have been, a New Sudan, where pluralism, tolerance, and equality prevailed and the country’s diversity was celebrated instead of exploited for political gain.”

(Sources: Radio Dabanga, Muftah.org)