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The Sudanese American Association presents its culture at the Cultural Fair on March 10 in the\u00a0Pegasus Ballroom. The board members briefly presented and explained Sudanese culture and raised\u00a0awareness about the ongoing war\u00a0in Sudan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ganna Mahmoud<\/p>\n
Two students co-founded the first Sudanese-American student organization at UCF this semester, sharing their culture and raising awareness of the ongoing crisis in Sudan.<\/p>\n
Established on Jan. 28 at the Muslim Student Association’s Islam Around the World event, the Sudanese American Student Association<\/a> was founded by Malaz Hageltoum,\u00a0sophomore\u00a0kinesiology major,\u00a0and Khadeeja Khogali,\u00a0sophomore\u00a0health sciences major.<\/p>\n Hageltoum and Khogali expressed that the lack of representation of Sudanese people at UCF inspired them to launch the first club together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s to show culture, but we also are going through horrific times, and we can\u2019t just show that we are having a good time while our people are struggling,\u201d Khogali\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sudan was thrown into a violent war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, resulting in mass starvation among the residents of the Western Darfur region. It is estimated that 150,000 people have died and about 12 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to the\u00a0BBC<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n About 25 million people \u2014 half of Sudan\u2019s population \u2013 need humanitarian assistance and protection as the country faces extreme shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, according to a recent report from\u00a0the United Nations Refugee Agency.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Both the\u00a0United Nations<\/a>\u00a0and the World Health Organization<\/a>\u00a0deemed it to be “the world\u2019s most severe humanitarian crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n Hageltoum expressed the importance of understanding the role of the United Arab Emirates in the crisis in Sudan.\u00a0Amnesty International<\/a>\u00a0reported that the UAE was funding the RSF in Sudan in 2025. The\u00a0Middle East Eye<\/a>\u00a0stated that the UAE\u2019s support is linked to its interest in Sudan\u2019s resources, such as agriculture and mineral resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened in Sudan was really bad, and I was thinking it’s not getting enough coverage and not enough people know about this, especially on campus,\u201d\u00a0Khogali said.\u00a0\u201cWe do have a Palestinian board when they talk about Palestine, but we don’t have a Sudan board to talk about Sudan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sudanese American Association presents a display during the Cultural Fair on March 10 in the\u00a0Pegasus Ballroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ganna Mahmoud<\/p>\n The club hosts a variety of events, from fundraisers to social gatherings, to foster a sense of community for the Sudanese and North African student communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n SASA’s Coffee Social Night at Haraz Coffee House marked the organization’s first official event. Hageltoum\u00a0said that the social fundraiser resulted in many Sudanese graduates and non-Sudanese people coming out to support the new organization.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope we gain something from educating people and showing that Sudanese people are more than just Africans,\u201d Khogali said.\u00a0\u201cWe are humans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Khogali said allies can help by showing up to the club’s events, donating or posting on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t really understand the power of social media because that\u2019s where we locally started \u2014 our first thing was on Instagram,\u201d Khogali\u00a0said.<\/p>\n To Khogali, being Sudanese means being compassionate.<\/p>\n The Sudanese American\u00a0Association presents a display of Sudanese culture, including food like basbousa and traditional practices like bakhoor and henna, at\u00a0the\u00a0Cultural Fair in the Pegasus Ballroom\u00a0on March 10.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ganna Mahmoud<\/p>\n \u201cWe are full of light and energy, even after what\u2019s going on in our country, [we] still find a way to smile and laugh and be strong through it,\u201d Khogali\u00a0said. \u201cEven though a lot of them don\u2019t have money and are still struggling with food, they still make a light out of a situation. That\u2019s something I really do love about being Sudanese.\u201d<\/p>\n Hageltoum added that she hopes more people come to UCF and want to be part of the club as it continues to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is going to reach the people eventually, and maybe it could be someone\u2019s reason to come to UCF,\u201d\u00a0Hageltoum said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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