How did Sudan and South Sudan get their names?

The name Sudan comes from Arabic, “Bilad as Sudan” or “Land of the Blacks.”  This name refers to the area south of the Sahara.  South Sudan was named when it became independent of Sudan on July 9, 2011.  It is officially the Republic of South Sudan.  South Sudan is the most newly recognized nation in the world, and joined the United Nations just a few days after Independence, on July 14, 2011.

Where are Sudan and South Sudan located?

Sudan is located in east, Central Africa.  It has many neighbors and borders:  Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest.  The Nile River is the dominant geographic feature of Sudan.

South Sudan is a landlocked country, also with many neighbors:  Sudan to the north, Ethiopia to the east, Central African Republic to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southwest, Uganda to the south and Kenya to the southeast.

Prior to the split of the two countries, Sudan was the largest country in Africa and in the Arab world.

A Brief History of Sudan and South Sudan

The earliest civilizations began in Sudan along the Nile, which grew into the Kingdom of Kush during the eighth century B.C..  Kush conquered Egypt and adopted many facets of Egyptian culture.  Sudan actually has more pyramids than Egypt in the area of Meroe.  The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The region converted to Christianity in the sixth century A.D., and then to Islam in the 14^th century.  Egypt conquered Sudan in the 1820s, turning the country into a slave market.  It administered Sudan jointly with Britain who was keen to control the area around the newly built Suez Canal. 

For a time the Sudanese Mahdist armies managed to kick out Egyptian and British forces holding the capital city of Khartoum, until the British re-conquered the territory in 1898.  By the mid-20^th century, the Sudanese wanted independence, which was granted in 1956. 

Resenting the political domination of the north, the mostly Christian and animist southerners launched a fight against the Khartoum government.  This was the trigger for a civil war conflict that raged on and off for more than 50 years and claimed an estimated two million Sudanese lives.

President Nimeiri ended the first civil war in 1972, granting the south considerable autonomy.  His plans to bring back the economy went bad and after pressure from the north, they rescinded the autonomy agreement with the south.  Civil war returned, along with an army coup.  These cycles of wars and coups have shaped much of Sudan’s post-independence history. 

In 1989, General Omar al-Bashir seized power.  He introduced hard line Islamic views, although Sharia (Islamic canonical law) was already instituted in 1980.  It wasn’t until the change of geopolitics, brought about by 911, that Sudan started to shift from its Islamist position.  Sudan saw prosperity from its new oilfields and sought peace with the south, which became independent in July 2011, although clashes continue.  The South fared far worse since Independence, as there has been a constant battle for power between the tribes of this new nation.

As if this were not enough pain for both of these countries, a struggle for resources in Darfur sprang into a full rebellion.  The repression from Bashir led the president to become the first head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.  He was finally overthrown in April 2019 by a military coup.  Although there is now some hope for a new leader in a pro-democracy movement, it remains to be seen how it will shake out.  The military are currently running the country, and there will, no doubt, be a new power struggle in their future.

Sudanese Culture

Sudan has a population of about 45 million people.  About 70 percent of the population is Sudanese Arab, with the balance being black ethnic groups like: Fur, Beja, Nuba and Fallata, to name a few.

The population of South Sudan is about 11 million and home to about 60 indigenous ethnic groups. The largest is the Dinka people, followed by the Neur and the Shiluk.

In Sudan, Arabic and English are the official languages.  In Sudan however, many indigenous languages are spoken.  In South Sudan, English is the official language however, most speak their indigenous languages as well.

In Sudan, Sunni Muslim is the main religion in the country. The country goes by Sharia law.  There are still indigenous tribes who practice animism, (a belief that all objects, such as trees and rivers, have a spirit.)  There is also a very small Christian minority left in Sudan.  Most Christians have since fled to the south.  The religious makeup in South Sudan is 60 percent Christian, 33 percent African religion (animism) and seven percent Islam.

In Sudan only about 30 percent of the population live in the urban areas; most are nomadic or live rural.  South Sudan is even less urban, at about 20 percent.  In Sudan, some 80 percent of the labor force works in agriculture.  Cotton is Sudan’s primary export, although the crop is vulnerable to drought.  Livestock, sesame, groundnuts, oil and gum Arabic are other important exports.  The country is poor and half of the population lives in poverty. 

In South Sudan the main export is petroleum followed by foraged corps and raw cotton, gold and dried legumes.  South Sudan is even poorer than its northern counterpart, with 80 percent living on less than $1 a day.  It is one of the most impoverished countries in the world.  Constant war has taken its toll on both of these nations.

Sudanese Cuisine

Sudan and South Sudan share many common dishes.  Sudanese food is inspired by colonial rule.  The most important ingredient in the cuisine is porridge, called dura, a starch, typically made from millet, wheat or corn.  The cuisine is also regional with fish being popular along the Nile.  In Sudan, lamb, chicken and beef are the most prevalent meats.  Being a strict Islamic state, pork and alcohol are strictly forbidden.

Typically, Sudanese food is meat heavy, interspersed with vegetables.  Stews, called mullah, are very popular.  Peanuts or ground nuts are also prevalent in Sudanese dishes. Ful Medames is a popular dish made of beans, usually fava beans and some consider it to be the national dish.  On a very sad note, there is a dish called Bush, a poor man’s ful, which is served using the bean water left in the gidra (the pot the beans are cooked in) and sopped up with onions and bread.  It gets its name from the first Bush president who cut aid to Sudan in the early 1990s in response to the Sudanese government’s support of Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War.  Falafels, made from chickpeas are a popular street snack but not served with the normal accompaniments that you might expect.  Generally speaking, the dishes do not use too many spices or seasonings, but they do like to add dried fruits, especially apricots.

So let’s enjoy a Sudanese Meal:

The Menu

Appetizer

Salata Aswad be Zabadi (Eggplant Dip)

Main Course

Ful Medames (Sudanese Fava Beans)

Served with

Shata (Spicy Sauce)

Dessert

Ful Sudani (Peanut Macaroons)

Served with

Shai (Sudanese Cinnamon Tea)

For our Sudanese meal we began with a handwashing.  We would eat sitting on the floor with a communal dish and use only our right hand, as would be customary in both Sudan countries.  Flat bread was a big help in scooping up the food. 

Our first dish was a delicious, fried eggplant dip, made with yogurt and peanut butter and tomatoes.  We absolutely loved the combination of flavors.  Typically, this would be served with fermented sorghum flat bread called, kisra.  I tried to make it but it was a failure, so naan would have to be my substitute.

For the main course, we thoroughly enjoyed the national dish called, Ful Medames.  This dish is very popular in many other countries as well.  It is a vegetarian, protein rich, dish that is garnished with onions, tomatoes, arugula, feta cheese, boiled eggs and sesame oil.  Honestly, this dish was perfectly delicious and filling.  It was served with a spicy hot sauce called shata, which is also very popular.

For dessert, little peanut meringue cookies were served that went perfectly with a cup of black tea, spiced up with cinnamon.  In Sudan, they love to enjoy their tea with lots of sugar.

As we say goodbye to the Sudans’, I must be honest and say that although we thoroughly enjoyed our International Cuisine meal, we did so with a heavy heart.  Both of these countries are in awful shape, with way too many of their people living in extreme poverty and war.  We ended our meal with a simple prayer for those people.

I leave you with a couple Sudanese proverbs:

“Empty stomachs have no ears.”

“No one likes to eat crumbs from a feast; everyone likes to sit at a table.”

“Better a meal of vegetables, where there is love than a fatted ox, where there is hatred.”

Until next time,

Warmest regards,

Darlene

How did Sri Lanka get its name?

“Lanka” is thought to be the first documented name for the island, in Sanskrit, dating back to 5114 BCE. ”Lanka” simply means “Island.”  Another theory is that the name was derived from the Tamil word “Ilanku” meaning “to shine,” or “to glitter.”  This name makes sense due to the glittering of gold and gems found on the island’s surface.

To be honest this island nation has more previous names than can be counted.  I think it must be a record.  In 622 BCE, Arabian Persian Traders called it “Serendib” or “Serendivi” (in Arabic).  The name is believed to have led Horace Walpole to create the word “serendipity” for the English language. 

Back in 960 A.D. an Arab author referred to Sri Lanka as “Saheelan.”  When the Portuguese and Dutch arrived the name remained similar until the British called it “Ceylon” in 1796 which remained until 1978 when it was changed officially changed to the “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.” “Sri” means “Resplendent.”  So, today Sri Lanka is known as the ”Land of Serendipity” or “Resplendent Island.”

Where is Sri Lanka located?

Another nickname of Sri Lanka is the “Teardrop of India,” which gives you an idea of the shape of the island, which is located just 21 miles at its closest point from the southeastern tip of India, in the Indian Ocean.  Sri Lanka is considered to be part of Asia. The Maldives lie to the southwest.  Sri Lanka is just slightly above the equator in the northern hemisphere and has a tropical climate.  It has two distinct monsoon seasons.  The capital city, Colombo, is known to be hot and humid.

A brief history of Sri Lanka

It is believed that Sri Lanka has been continuously inhabited for more than two million years.  The original inhabitants were hunters and gatherers from the Stone Age.  Somewhere around the fifth century BCE, immigrants from northern India arrived, forming the modern Sinhalese population.  The Sinhalese population was largely Buddhist and set up the first kingdom around Anuradhapura.  Early Buddhist emissaries brought a cutting from the Bodhi tree, under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.  This tree is still standing and is believed to be the oldest tree planted by human beings.  The tree remains an important pilgrimage site.

Tamils, from the south of India, arrived about two centuries after the Sinhalese.  Most Tamils are Hindu or Christian and are a minority in Sri Lanka.

The Portuguese arrived in 1505 and by 1518, having established good relations with the king, were allowed to build a fort at Colombo (the capital city today) for trade concessions, in exchange for the king’s protection.

Meanwhile, the Dutch established a trading fort in Galle, destroying the earlier Portuguese outpost.  Soon the Dutch East India Company controlled most of Ceylon.  However, after 300 years of colonial rule by the treaty of Amiens, Britain gave up control of Ceylon, just after the Napoleonic Wars.

Due to unrest during Colonial rule, the Ceylon National Congress was formed in 1919, uniting Sinhalese and Tamils.  Although some concessions were made, Ceylon did not gain independence until 1948.  Ceylon became the “Republic of Sri Lanka” in 1972. 

Unfortunately, tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamils erupted into a bloody civil war, lasting from 1983 to 2009.  It is estimated that the 26 year civil war resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.  After the fighting ended, a Tamil-nationalist, Catholic bishop claimed that 147,000 people, civilians and fighters, remained missing.  The war ended when the leader of the Tamils was killed.  Sri Lanka has been under scrutiny for war crimes against the Tamil. 

In 2004 Sri Lanka was also hit with a massive tsunami, killing 30,000 and displacing 1.5 million people.

Sri Lanka is a much different place today, as it has made huge strides in rebuilding their nation. The remaining Tamils and Sinhalese live relatively peacefully together.  Although Sri Lanka still has plenty of work to do, it is often on the list of the one of the best places to visit, due to the warmth of the Sri Lankan people and its beauty as a tropical paradise destination.  Unfortunately, there was a terrorist attack on Easter in 2019 that left 259 people dead and created travel warnings.  Most recently, the covid crisis will cause even more hardship in the rebuilding of the island.

Sri Lankan Culture

Sri Lanka was colonized by three different cultures all of which clearly left their influences.  The descendants of the Dutch settlers are called Burghers and they are still a considerably influential group.  The British brought over the ritual of high tea, which is still a custom in Sri Lanka today.  Tea plantations were established by the British as the interior mountainous region provided the perfect environment and climate.  Some of the world’s most famous teas still come from Sri Lanka; brands like Ceylon and Lipton.  Visiting tea plantations is a tourist highlight, as they are located in lush, green, picturesque locations.

The largest religious group remains the Buddhists.  The others are Hindus, Muslims and some Christians as well.  Visitors will find Buddhist temples, Hindu kovils, Muslim mosques and Christian churches, throughout the island.

There are three official languages in Sri Lanka: Sinhalese, Tamil and English.  The street signs are typically in all three languages but sometimes, only in English.

There are many UNESCO world heritage sites in Sri Lanka.  Some of the most prominent ones include: Sigiriya, an ancient fortress built atop a huge granite monolith, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s medieval capital, the Sacred City of Kandy, which has the highly revered Temple of the Tooth, along with the Golden Temple of Dambulla and the old Town of Galle.

Sri Lanka celebrates some 30 holidays per year.  Many are religious holidays that are public holidays for all to celebrate.  One holiday that is celebrated each month is called Poya; an island wide celebration of the full moon.  

Sri Lankan Cuisine

The official meal of Sri Lanka is rice and curry, a complete meal of steamed heirloom basmati rice surrounded by all sorts of different curries.  Curry comes in many forms in Sri Lanka: meats, poultry, fish and seafood, vegetables and even fruit.  Jack fruit curry is a specialty curry. 

As a tropical island with an abundance of vegetation, the cuisine uses all sorts of herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables and especially coconuts, which are ubiquitous throughout the country.  As a country that was a hub in the historic oceanic Silk Road, Sri Lanka traders brought in many new food items and inparted cultural influences which all helped to shape Sri Lankan cuisine.  Some say it is similar to South East Asian cuisine as well as the cuisine of the state of Kerala, in southern India.  Sri Lankan cuisine is spicy and hot, with the heat coming from an array of chilies.

Sri Lanka is famous for its cinnamon, which originated there.  It is often blended with black pepper, which is also indigenous.  Sri Lanka is most famous for its unique spice blends which include:  roasted and then ground coriander seed, cumin, fennel, clove, fenugreek and cinnamon, to name a few.  No doubt every cook in Sri Lanka has their own curry spice blend secrets.  Curry leaves are often used fresh, as are pandan leaves.

Sambols, especially coconut sambal, are served alongside just about everything, as are achars or pickled relishes.  It is not unusual to have multiple curries, sambols and achars served at one time.  Often a dhal (lentil) curry, is served as well.

Another famous Sri Lankan dish is the hopper.  It is a bowl made from a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk.  There are special hopper pots that they are steamed or fried to make the bowl shape and then are often served with an egg, and sambols. 

Obviously as an island nation, fish and seafood play an important role in the cuisine.  One ubiquitous ingredient is called Maldive fish, which is a cured skip jack tuna that imparts a wonderful umami flavor to their dishes.

So let’s enjoy a Sri Lankan meal:

The Menu

Starter

 Kadala Thal Dala (Spiced Chickpeas)

Main Course

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Spice Blend

Prawn Curry with Steamed Basmati Rice

Served with

Pol Sambol (Coconut Sambol)

Dessert

Watalappan (Coconut Custard)

We set the scene with elephant statues, the national animal of Sri Lanka (and which happens to be my spirit animal.)  Sri Lanka has numerous national parks and is famous for the amount of wild elephants that gather in groups in the parks.  The island is also well known for leopards, monkeys, peacocks, and a whole array of birds.  Sea life is also a draw, and it is said you can see the largest land mammal, the elephant and the largest marine mammal, the blue whale, in a single day.  Tea was  placed in the décor, as it is Sri Lanka’s biggest export.  Cinnamon and black pepper were added as well as a coconut.  A Buddha statue was staged to represent the largest religion and a photo of a water lily, the national flower, of Sri Lanka completed the scene.

We began with spiced up chickpeas, which would also be considered a short eat (or snack) in Sri Lanka.  They were spicy with flavors of mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves and spicy hot from the red chilies.  We loved them.

For the main course, we enjoyed the spicy prawn curry with steamed Basmati rice and the amazing pol sambal.  The prawn curry was full of flavor and  spicy hot too.  We scooped up the curry and rice using our right hand.  They eat with only the right hand in Sri Lanka.

The curry and rice were served with the coconut sambol, a perfectly balanced condiment with which I have fallen completely in love.  On its own, it is perfectly balanced, with sweetness from the grated fresh coconut, sour from lime, spice from chilies and umami from shallots and maldive fish.  A heavenly dish indeed! 

For dessert, watalappan was served.  This is has a coconut custard flavor with a kitul jaggery, which comes from the fishtail palm and has a lovely caramel flavor.  It was topped with cashews.  We savored it with a hot cup of Ceylon black tea.

After dinner we sat down to read “The Legend of The Ramayana,” an epic tale of Rama, who traveled to the teardrop island to save his princess bride, Sita.  It is a purely magical story that is part of the culture, the history and souls of the Sri Lankan people.

Until next time,

Be safe and well,

Darlene