Recording testimonies since December 2018

Statement of Purpose

As regards the events that have unfolded since 19thDecember 2018 which have led to radical alterations on the Sudanese political scene, a vast number of documents have been circulating, most especially on social media. These have had a strong influence on the mobilization of the Sudanese population.

Due to the fragile and fleeting nature of such mediums, Sudanese and foreign researchers have deemed it of the highest importance to record testimonies of the events that have taken place over the past four months (photographs and videos) as well as political statements of different orders (texts, drawings, signs, photographs, songs, videos, etc.) that have been circulating in Sudan before some of these documents are irremediably lost.

The database, set up under the coordination of the French research institute in Sudan, CEDEJ-Khartoum (a public research institution affiliated to the National Council for Scientific Research – CNRS), will serve as a means of conserving facets of Sudanese history and serve as a tool for future research. CEDEJ Khartoum as a research institution based in Sudan is well versed in research on the two Sudans.

Tasks allocated to the Sudan Revolution Archive

A)    Collecting

The first task of the Sudan Revolution Archive (SRA) is to collect documents, with an emphasis on gathering the largest number of sources, both in terms of political affiliations and geographical locations.
CEDEJ Khartoum will coordinate data collection.

B)    Archiving

A database will be set up to reference all relevant documents and will allow for the exploration of the collection under a variety of criteria (dates, locations, etc.).
A platform has been created and funded by AGS Co.This will enable the uploading of various forms of documents (texts, drawings, signs, photographs, songs, videos, etc.) and ensure their safe preservation.

C)    Sharing

The SRA database will be open-access and, pending the stabilization of the political situation in Sudan, will constitute a basis for further collaboration with all Sudanese institutions should they wish to make use of it.
CEDEJ Khartoum will guarantee free access to the SRA database and ensure its exclusive use for non-commercial purposes.
As the most convenient short term solution, the database will be hosted on a server made available by AGS Co.[Utilisate1] , until a permanent solution can be found.

Guidelines for the Sudan Revolution Archive

D)    Which documents ?

Documents will be selected according to their historical significance, in the knowledge that the fluidity of the situation in Sudan imposes that the largest array of documents should be collected, while further developments arise.
When necessary, documents shall be sent by their creator, in order to avoid proprietary issues.

E)    How to send documents ?

Documents can be either :

Sent to the SRA email address [sudanrevolutionarchive@gmail.com] through attachment files.

Delivered to the CEDEJ-Khartoum office (Khartoum 2) on a memory stick. Further information available on [https://cedejsudan.hypotheses.org].

Documents shall be sent accompanied with the following information :

The source of production ;

The date of production ;

The location ;

The medium of circulation (WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.) ;

The themes contained in any given document (as a basis for indexation of the document) ;

A short commentary (as a basis for indexation of the document).

F)    How to access the Sudan Revolution Archive ?

The collection can be accessed on site at the CEDEJ-Khartoum office. Further information available on [https://cedejsudan.hypotheses.org].

G)   How to collaborate with the Sudan Revolution Archive project ?

All enquiries for access to the Sudan Revolution Archive and/or collaboration with the project shall be sent to [sudanrevolutionarchive@gmail.com].