EWANA Center

Eritrea

  • Ḥāmid al-Nāẓir (1975-, Sudan) – Nubūʾah al-Saqqā (‘The prophecy of Saqqa’, 2015). This novel portrays the Aḥfād (grandchildren) slaves’ struggle for freedom and the political oppression they face, as well as the tribal dynamics in the country. The novel covers around 1000 of the struggles for recognition and rights by the Aḥfād through the stories of several characters, while also describing critical periods in the history of Eritrea, such as the Eritrean War of Independence, and the wider region, specifically its relation to Sudan (reference).
  • Amīr Tāj al-Sir (1960-, Sudan) – Muntij al-Sāḥirāt (‘The witches resort’, 2015). This novel centers the beautiful young Eritrean girl Abābā Tisfāy, who arrives as a refugee in Sudan. It portrays the duress refugees are exposed to in the remote Sudanese border villages, which become an intersection of travel, trade, and crime, where their presence is often perceived as a threat (reference). Abābā ends up working in the lawless ‘the witches resort’, where tea is served and transport to other cities leaves from, and where she falls under the ‘authority’ of ʿAbd al-Quyūm, the mainstay of the place (reference) (also in M: Movement (E): migration, Refugees and Return: Refugees in Arab Countries).

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