Season of Migration to the North (1966) A reading in view of the

Season of Migration to the North (1966)
A reading in view of the historical context
Malek Sharif, [email protected]
‘The foundation of my work, for what it is worth
lies is what I am: a Sudanese Muslim Arab who
was born at a certain time, in a certain place’
Tayeb Salih, talk May 19, 1980 at AUB
‘Season cannot be a viable work of fiction outside
time and historical context’ Samir Seikaly 1985.
‘Britain made the modern world’ Niall Ferguson,
Empire, 2003
I.
Tayeb Salih (1929 -2009) a short introduction
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Born in the northern province of the Sudan to a family of peasants and religious learning
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Education: in the village Qoranic school, later in Khartoum until finishing his first university
degree. He pursued higher education in London
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He worked for the BBC Arabic Service and became director of its Drama Section
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He worked in Qatar as under secretary for culture and education
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He worked in the UNESCO in Paris and was also its representative in the Gulf
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Penned a number of editorials, essays, short stories and novels. Examples: The Wedding of alZein which was filmed (award winning in the Cannes Film Festival) and Season of Migration
to the North (which was translated into more than 30 languages)
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Season banned for many years in the Sudan, current talks of banning it in Egypt
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Tayeb Salih died in London on the 18th of February 2009
II.
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The Sudan and its surroundings a brief historical context
1821 Mehmet Ali Paşa of Egypt starts expanding in the Sudan and gradually annexes parts of
it from North to South
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1882 British heavy bombardment of Alexandria and the occupation of Egypt
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1884-1885 The siege of Khartoum by the forces of al-Mahdi ending by the massacre of the
Anglo-Egyptian forces in the city under the command of General Gordon
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1885 the conference of Berlin concerning the Affairs of Africa
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From 1892 onwards the dream of Cecil Rhodes ‘from the Cape to Cairo’ starts gaining
popularity in Britain as a strategic project for the British Empire
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September 1898 the Battle of Omdorman with the Anglo Egyptian forces under the command
of Herbert Heratio Kitchener.
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November 1892 The Fashoda Crisis between Britain and France over the control of the Sudan
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1915 Egypt declares unilaterally the unification with the Sudan
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December 1917 General Allenby occupies Jerusalem
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1952 the Bloodless revolution in Egypt
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1954 Colonel Naser declares severing the union between the two states Egypt and the Sudan
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1 January 1956 Britain declares the Sudan independent
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1956 The Suez war known as the ‘triple aggression’ in the Arabic historiography
III.
Colonised Sudan and the complex character of Mustafa Sa’eed
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the significance of his birth date August 16, 1898 (p.18)
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his dual Nationalities, Sudanese and British (p.18) and a split cultural identity
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freedom fighter an equal to the British, I am a colonizer (p. 94) I am an invader... a drop of
poison which you have injected into the veins of history. I am no Othello (p.95)
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attempted to uncover British hypocrisy in their word and deed, through his word and deed (his
books and sexual life) (p 137 and 139-141; p 142-146)
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IV.
the ‘civilising mission’ of imperialism failed on him. Or did it break him?
The independent Sudan
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perplexed (there is no justice or moderation in the world. (p. 141)
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disillusioned and alienated (p. 130)
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lacks volition, action and responsible initiative (166-169)
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dualism and double standard
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no clear stance vis-à-vis imperialism (p. 60)
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hybrid cultural identity, alienation
V.
The pre-colonial Sudan, the roots and the reservoir of tradition
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or is it an invented tradition as a necessity for the post-colonial Sudan
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the waning of tradition
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the death of tradition at the hands of a Sudanese woman Hosna bint Mahmoud
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can never become fully modern
VI.
An identity Crisis, or by way of conclusion the relevance of Season to us and to our
day and time
Who are we? What is to become of us? Where is our place? Who is the ‘other’? Where is
that ‘other’? Are multiple identities the solution? How, imposed or voluntary? Are we
not back to square one?