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Photos: Murals commemorate ‘martyrs’ of Sudan protests

Sudanese protester Walid Abdelrahim was shot dead last month in Khartoum but for his mother he is still alive -- thanks to a colourful mural of his smiling face on a wall of their home. "The painting keeps him alive," said Maiyssa Omar, her voice choking as she talked of her son. The portrait is part of a campaign launched by Sudanese activist Eythar Gubara to draw murals and graffiti to commemorate demonstrators killed in the months-old protest movement.

Updated on: Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM IST

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Sudanese activist Eythar Gubara, in front of a mural painting of Mohamed Mattar, on the wall of a youth club in Bahri. The colourful graffiti is part of a campaign to draw faces of protesters killed on June 3 and during the months-long protest movement against now ousted leader Omar al-Bashir on the walls of their family homes. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

Sudanese activist Eythar Gubara, in front of a mural painting of Mohamed Mattar, on the wall of a youth club in Bahri. The colourful graffiti is part of a campaign to draw faces of protesters killed on June 3 and during the months-long protest movement against now ousted leader Omar al-Bashir on the walls of their family homes. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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Mattar was among dozens killed in the June 3 raid on a protest camp outside the military headquarters. Since the protests first erupted in December, 246 people have been killed across the country, including 127 on June 3 itself, according to doctors linked to the protest movement. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

Mattar was among dozens killed in the June 3 raid on a protest camp outside the military headquarters. Since the protests first erupted in December, 246 people have been killed across the country, including 127 on June 3 itself, according to doctors linked to the protest movement. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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A man walks past the mural painting of Babikir Anwar on the wall of the family home in the neighbourhood of Shambat. “Graffiti makes martyrs come alive and reminds people of them even if the people themselves did or did not support the revolution,” said Sudanese artist Assil Diab. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

A man walks past the mural painting of Babikir Anwar on the wall of the family home in the neighbourhood of Shambat. “Graffiti makes martyrs come alive and reminds people of them even if the people themselves did or did not support the revolution,” said Sudanese artist Assil Diab. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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Adawiya Mohamed, the mother of Babikir Anwar is pictured in front of her son’s mural painting on the wall of the family home. For years such artwork remained underground amid censorship imposed by heavy-handed security agents of Bashir’s regime, who considered it anti-establishment or pure vandalism. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

Adawiya Mohamed, the mother of Babikir Anwar is pictured in front of her son’s mural painting on the wall of the family home. For years such artwork remained underground amid censorship imposed by heavy-handed security agents of Bashir’s regime, who considered it anti-establishment or pure vandalism. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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Children gesture in front of a mural painting of a protester killed during the protest. Diab, who lives in the Qatari capital with her family but often returns to her homeland, said painting each mural costs her about $635. “But martyrs took to the streets and died for us. This is the least we can do for them,” she said, who has drawn about 30 portraits of protesters killed in Khartoum. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

Children gesture in front of a mural painting of a protester killed during the protest. Diab, who lives in the Qatari capital with her family but often returns to her homeland, said painting each mural costs her about $635. “But martyrs took to the streets and died for us. This is the least we can do for them,” she said, who has drawn about 30 portraits of protesters killed in Khartoum. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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Maiyssa Omar, the mother of Walid Abdelrahim sits in front of the mural painting of her son, ornating the family home. “The painting keeps him alive,” she said, her voice choking as she talked of her son, who was killed during a three-day nationwide civil disobedience campaign in June. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

Maiyssa Omar, the mother of Walid Abdelrahim sits in front of the mural painting of her son, ornating the family home. “The painting keeps him alive,” she said, her voice choking as she talked of her son, who was killed during a three-day nationwide civil disobedience campaign in June. (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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“I’m happy that Sudan still remembers their legacy,” Diab said. Drawing the graffiti had not been easy. Often her team faced resistance from the feared paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces, who are accused by rights group of carrying out the June 3 raid. “It was a dangerous experience, but worth taking the risks... I was interested in immortalising the legacy of these martyrs in the best way that I knew... through graffiti.” (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 10:14 AM

“I’m happy that Sudan still remembers their legacy,” Diab said. Drawing the graffiti had not been easy. Often her team faced resistance from the feared paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces, who are accused by rights group of carrying out the June 3 raid. “It was a dangerous experience, but worth taking the risks... I was interested in immortalising the legacy of these martyrs in the best way that I knew... through graffiti.” (Ashraf Shazly / AFP)

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