Arts Therapy Practice in Sudan: Reflections on a Short-Term Humanitarian Programme (Pratique de l’art-thérapie au Soudan : Réflexions sur un programme humanitaire à court terme)

Abstract

A creative arts therapies program was implemented in 2018 at a special-needs school in Khartoum, Sudan as part of a humanitarian program initiated by an international nongovernmental organization that promotes art therapy, and their local Sudanese partners. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, this paper presents the personal experiences of the three arts therapists involved, emphasizing the complex intercultural context that involved diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic identities. This article shares an approach to intercultural work that can be used and built-upon by other professionals working in humanitarian contexts. The unique model of a three-step program that was implemented emphasized the transitory presence of the therapists as sojourners. The reflections and process of writing this article, illuminates the authors’/therapists’ own experiences as sojourner arts therapists, and how it influenced their approach in working temporarily in Sudan. This article concludes with the recommendation to incorporate tools of critical reflections in order to support the professional team working in humanitarian contexts, and encourage continuous dialogue with the community where the intervention takes place.

RÉSUMÉ

Un programme de thérapies par l’art créatif a été mis en oeuvre en 2018 dans une école spécialisée à Khartoum, au Soudan, dans le cadre d’un programme humanitaire initié par une organisation non gouvernementale internationale qui promeut l’art-thérapie avec l’aide de ses partenaires soudanais locaux. En utilisant une approche autoethnographique collaborative, cet article présente les expériences personnelles des trois art-thérapeutes impliqués, en mettant l’accent sur le contexte interculturel complexe qui présentait diverses identités culturelles, ethniques et linguistiques. Cet article partage une approche du travail interculturel qui peut être utilisée et développée par d’autres professionnels travaillant dans des contextes humanitaires. Le modèle unique de programme en trois étapes qui a été mis en place a mis l’accent sur la présence transitoire des thérapeutes en tant que visiteurs. Les réflexions et le processus de rédaction de cet article mettent en lumière les expériences propres des auteurs/thérapeutes en tant qu’art-thérapeutes visiteurs, et comment cela a influencé leur approche de ce travail temporaire au Soudan. Cet article se termine par la recommandation d’intégrer des outils de réflexion critique afin de soutenir l’équipe professionnelle travaillant dans des contextes humanitaires, et d’encourager un dialogue continu avec la communauté où se déroule l’intervention.

Notes

1 Throughout this article the term “creative arts therapies” refers to multiple therapeutic arts modalities, including, visual arts, music, movement, and dance, but this program focused mostly on the visual arts and play.

2 Khartoum is the largest urban area and the capital of Sudan. This intervention took place before the mass uprisings and fall of Omar al-Bashir’s authoritarian rule in 2019 (“Sudan country profile,” 2019).

3 The term “arts therapists” is used interchangeably throughout this article to refer to the accredited expressive arts therapists and art therapist who were involved in this program.

4 Protests were triggered in 2018—in the same year as this arts therapy program occurred—due to various factors such as rising costs, especially of bread and fuel, soaring inflation, and limits on bank withdrawals (Elmileik, 2018). In 2019 the army ousted President al-Bashir, after months of protests against his authoritarian rule (“Sudan country profile,” 2019).

5 “Process orientation demands creating a sensitive and open relationship, careful observations, attentive listening and clear and secure frames.” (Atkins & Eberhart, 2014, p. 102).

6 The train-the-trainer framework in RPI’s 3-step model provides specific training for caregivers to ensure that they can include an artistic and creative element into their work after the program is over and the arts therapists have left (https://redpencil.org/). In this program, training workshops were focused on the teachers at the school to use creative arts with their students and for self-care.

7 “Community can be defined as a network of people who share similar interests, values, goals, culture, religion or history – as well as feelings of connection and caring among its members” (Unicef, 2019, p. 6).

8 Classes at the school were kept small (5-6 maximum), and students had different levels of functioning and various intellectual/learning disabilities, for example: Down syndrome, dyslexia, ADHD, cerebral palsy and Autism disorder. There were a total of 37 students, and 12 female teachers working at the special-needs school.

9 The additional experiential workshops were for members of the wider community not directly part of the school. Participants included teachers from other schools, international volunteers, university students, and artists.

10 The Healthcare Professions Council of South Africa’s guidelines for good practice state that health professionals must always regard concern for the best interests or well-being of their patients as their primary professional duty (HPCSA, 2016). Ethical reasoning is advised when there are practical decisions or choices about the provision of health care (HPCSA, 2016). 

11 The Sudanese Arabic phrase “shway-shway” translates roughly to “so-so” in English. It was a phrase learned from the community to express that I do not speak Arabic well, just a little.

12 The therapeutic team on-site consisted of not only the two arts therapists but also a Japanese music therapist who was working at the school for nearly 2 years as a volunteer with a Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) who agreed to collaborate and share her knowledge of the community.