Artist's letter
We are all aware of Sudan's neglect by western media, particularly during the simultaneous devastations in Gaza and Sudan over the past year. This disregard of Sudan can largely be attributed to western media's struggle to simplify the country’s multifaceted issues into black-and-white narratives, overlooking its interconnectedness with the same regional powers. Additionally, practical challenges like limited internet access on the ground in Sudan contribute to the scarcity of footage available for use by the media.
Amidst my constant search for news on Sudan online, like many around the world, I became a firsthand witness to Gazans documenting their own genocide. However, even with Gaza's situation being unequivocal and with a steady stream of video and images, this material remains ignored by western media.
In my interactive installation Shahid, which means 'witness' in Arabic, I aim to highlight a few of the early viral images from Gaza, which were quickly forgotten as the world witnessed wave after wave of horrific imagery from the ongoing massacres. This normalisation of nameless and increasingly numerous victims further underscores the urgency for collective witnessing and taking a stand.
I implore you, as witnesses, to confront these images, to immerse yourselves in them, and to honour the memory of the first 6,747 victims of the attacks on Gaza by reading out as many of their names as you can. Through this act of solidarity with Gaza, I also stand in solidarity with Sudan and other overlooked countries in conflict in the Global South. I firmly believe that only when the world sees the well-documented genocide in Gaza, will it see us all.
Khalid Albaih
15 July 2024
