On Sunday 12 September the acta centre welcomed nearly four-hundred people from across the community to enjoy all things Sudanese culture. From food to film, performance to procession, there was lots to experience!

What happened on the day?

The event kicked off with a parade by Cardiff Sudanese Community Group. Throughout the day, there were regular activities and performances, alongside food stalls and art exhibitions, ensuring that regardless of the time people turned up, they could see a bit of everything.

I expected most people to come for maybe 30mins, but most stayed for 3-4 hours! Sudanese community of all races and tribes from across the South West took part, buying, selling and actively taking part. There was a real sense of ownership and pride from the Sudanese community, but also an openness to the wider community. Some of the children, who had never been to Sudan, were able to learn about their culture. We also heard people saying “we’ve been in lockdown for two years”, and how it was such a big thing for them and reminded us of how life was before. Many people volunteered their time, cooked homemade food, donated artefacts for the museum, and created decorations. It was lovely to see how much people enjoyed being back together again.

Hiba Elhindi, Sudafest Project Lead

Overheard…

Some of the lovely feedback from attendees of Sudafest:-

 “We felt at home… like we were going to a wedding ceremony. It felt relaxed, comfortable, and we had a lovely time.”

“I’ve always hated coffee; today I had three cups” Aqeel Abdulla (acta Associate – having tried Sudanese coffee for the first time!)

 “I learnt so much, such delicious food and welcoming atmosphere. Thank you!”

“The immersive experience of food, dance, history and meeting all the lovely people was fantastic. A very memorable part of the day was the “museum” visit.  A special thanks to the presenter of the Museum exhibition for taking time to give us an extraordinary tour of their rich culture.”

What’s next?

While there are no plans at present, with such lovely feedback and offers to help – it is evident that there is appetite to return next year.

Watch our 90 second video below as Hiba Elhindi describes why Sudafest was created, what was special about the day – as well as seeing some of the brilliant photos!

Find out more

To find out more about the work acta does, visit here: https://www.acta-bristol.com/about-us/ or to get in touch with one of the team.