00:00At a school-turned-shelter in Port Sudan, rehearsal is a modest affair.
00:05But three years of war and hardship have not silenced the music.
00:09Inside, a singer rehearses alongside a keyboardist,
00:12part of a group of around 120 Sudanese artists displaced by conflict.
00:18It is a blessing that all these artists found each other in the same place.
00:24I believe it would have been a harsh experience
00:27if they had been scattered across different camps.
00:30It would have been very difficult.
00:35At El Rabat Center, artists now live and work side by side,
00:40pulling money to rebuild their creative lives piece by piece.
00:47Our gathering here has created many collective artistic works.
00:53A large number of musicians partnered with poets as well as dramatists
00:59have benefited from music specialists and photographers.
01:05This has helped to bring people closer together.
01:11Across Sudan, more than 9 million people have been displaced
01:14and the country's cultural institutions have been devastated.
01:19Theatres, studios and museums have been shut down or looted,
01:22forcing many artists into exile.
01:27Here there are dreams.
01:29And the yard outside is full of dreams, energies and experiences.
01:34I am sure anyone here could write a book about their time here.
01:42Despite the hardships caused by the brutal fighting
01:45between the army and the rapid support forces,
01:48the artists continue to create staging performances,
01:52exhibitions and even radio dramas during Ramadan.
01:56For me, this school is a miniature cultural institution.
02:02There are dramatists, directors, musicians
02:05and all kinds of artists here
02:08who form an exceptional example.
02:13This improvised community has become more than a shelter.
02:16It is a lifeline for Sudan's creative spirit.
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