Civil society actors have called for confronting hate speech in Sudan by raising public awareness and opening dialogue on long-suppressed issues, acknowledging past mistakes and historical grievances, developing a new national discourse based on acceptance of others and rejection of hatred, and pursuing genuine national reconciliation that includes transitional justice. They also called for developing a new roadmap that moves beyond the paths that have led the country into wars.
The calls were made during a seminar titled “Hate Speech During the Recent War: Challenges, Solutions and Responses,” organised by Al-Taghyeer newspaper in cooperation with the Al-Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment, on Saturday in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The seminar was attended by Al-Taghyeer Editor-in-Chief Rasha Awad, researcher Jumaa Kinda, social researcher and Director of the Democratic Thought Project Shams Al-Din Daw Al-Bait, along with a number of researchers and other interested participants.
Rasha Awad, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Taghyeer, told Mashaweer that “confronting hate speech must begin at the level of awareness and through unconventional approaches.”
She called for opening serious discussions on issues that have long remained unaddressed and for acknowledging past mistakes and historical injustices.
Awad noted that “Sudanese society needs to acknowledge the existence of racism within it and work to raise awareness about it,” calling on those with greater awareness to share that understanding within their own social communities and contribute to changing the prevailing discourse.
