A fool will not even find water in the Nile!

81m 3
Renewable freshwater resources per capita*
Sudan:
* year 2013, source: The World Bank
Nubian
holy water
From baptisms to marriages, ritual cleansing
with Nile water has a long standing in Nubian
culture.
Samia Ibrahim | Khartoum
P
eople of the Nubian regions, north
of Sudan, sanctify the Nile and consider
it the giver of life, fertility, happiness and
prosperity. Since the birth of the early Sudanese
civilisations, such as the Kerma culture, (which
began around 3000 BC), man has found that
his life within these communities is linked
to the Nile. Dependence on this great river
is related to a number of customs, traditions
and rituals associated with the various stages
of life itself.
Shafouqa Abdul Rahman Dahab, an archeologist
interested in Nubian heritage, said the
rituals practiced by her family in Wadi Halfa
city in northern Sudan are concerned with
marriage, birth and circumcision. “Two days
ahead of the marriage ceremony, the bride goes
to the Nile to wash her face, while the bridegroom
goes there on his wedding day to bathe.
Afterwards, the actual wedding preparations
are arranged,” she explained and added that
on the seventh day after the wedding, the bride
and bridegroom walk to the Nile to wash their
face and feet with its water.
Sacraments and rites of passage
In the Sukut and Mahas districts and in some
areas near Dongola, mothers take their newborns
to the Nile at sunset and wash their faces as well
as the faces of their newborn babies with the
Nile’s water. They fill seven containers with Nile
water to irrigate seven small palm trees to invoke
bounty and happiness. All babies’ items used
to clean their newborns are thrown to the Nile.
A quantity of cooked chickpeas is prepared some
of which are eaten by the riverside while the
remaining quantity is thrown along with the
baby’s items.
In certain areas of the Nile between Wadi
Halfa and Khartoum, mothers have to stay
indoors for 40 days after their delivery. On
the 40th day, the mother takes her newborn
to the Nile and washes the infant in accordance
with the adopted ritual. Local inhabitants in
the Nubian regions believe that women who
disregard this ritual will be afflicted with all
types of evil. Women carrying palm branches
and singing folk songs accompany the mothers.
The newborns’ mothers wash their hands,
feet and face as well the face and feet of their
babies. Meanwhile, the accompanying women
ululate in joy after the rituals are completed.
When a boy is circumcised, he is taken to the
Nile on the same day to wash his face with the
Nile’s water.
This ritual is similar to baptism performed
by Christians for their newborn children.
According to the book entitled ‘Discovery
of Ancient Nuba History’ by Giovanni Fantini,
these rituals still exist in Nuba areas in northern
Sudan and Darfur in the west. These rituals
testify to Nubians’ Christian past.
The priest of Two Martyrs Church, father
Velothaos Faraj said a number of customs in
Nuba districts are regarded as remnants of
Christianity which existed in the Nubian regions
between the sixth and the sixteenth centuries.
These customs continued after the advent of
Islam, including those that were associated with
the river Nile. “The Nile is a sacred river to all
Nuba population and they turn to it for renewed
life,” he added.
Faraj also said there are customs linked
to the start of married life where the bride’s
procession goes to the Nile to take some water
from the blessed river. The groom as well visits
the river and then the marriage procedures
are consummated.
Manal Saleh, a mother of two, said she
followed these rituals when she gave birth to
her children. “Despite the changes of lifestyles
at present, these rituals are still followed in the
Nubian villages and rural areas located north
and east of Sudan.”
When the
well runs dry
They can see the water source and they even
pay their water bills, but residents of Nyala
are thirsty.
Abdelrahman Ibrahim | Nyala
D
ecades of conflict have left vital infrastructure
in short supply and residents
of Nyala, South Darfur State, frequently in
search of water. Every year the crisis peaks during
the four-month-long summer – the northern
districts are hit hardest.
Most of Nyala’s houses lack water mains,
a fact the former Governor of South Darfur
Adam Mahmoud Jar El-Nabi blames on absent
pipes. “The network was subject to some
renovation and the first phase related to street
pipes was completed. However, the second
phase of running pipes inside the houses has yet
to be completed,” he said during a press
conference this past June.
Water carried on carriages and tankers tour
Nyala neighbourhoods to sell water barrels to the
inhabitants of those areas who don’t have access
to a public water supply. The price of a barrel of
water costs SDG 25 (about US$ 4). Most Nyala
city residents do not receive a monthly salary and
their incomes vary from one month to the next,
making this a steep sum to pay.
Even for employees whose monthly incomes
range between SDG 700 and 900 (nearly
US$ 116 and 150), it is challenging to cover
the monthly water costs of large families
– somewhere between US$ 124 and 240 per
month. Salaried family members often split
the bill. “Drinking water has become pricier
than cooking gas,” said Mohammed Abdallah,
from Al-Matar District.
And even those families living in neighbourhoods
with public water supply pipes, regular
water shortages have prompted them to dig wells
and use the autumn water streams.
T
Confluence of the White Nile and the
Blue Nile, near Khartoum
Photo: De Agostini / N. Cirani,
gettyimages
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