Step Aside Bayeux, Meet The Sudan Banner – The Longest Protest Banner In The World | Alternative Fruit

Since the toppling of the oppressive government regime in Sudan just over three months ago, work has been slow in realigning the nation to its cultural principles. The transitional military government are in continuing talks with citizens and politicians to come to an agreement. As the concrete deals gradually set, life goes on for everyone else. A team of artists from all over Khartoum have banded together for a solitary purpose. They've been working on it since the 15th of April, shortly after the idea was seeded. They're creating the story of Sudan with a theme of giving the people their voice. The story is long and full of interesting events that all stitch together to form the soul of the nation and its people. The 1.9 mile long textile banner is almost ready to be unfurled.


By enabling each artist to create a rectangular artwork of uniform size, the individual units were created in various locations around the city. In between these panels will be written thousands of signatures, each one penned by an individual protestor in this sea of intent and optimism. The last part of the banner, which is in the process of being finished, will contain portraits of the protestors who have been killed. Their signatures will not be on the banner so the honour of their image will be immortalised in cloth.


Meanwhile, confrontations with military, police, and protestors are continuing to result in loss of life. Over 90 people have already lost their lives in this transition of power. The situation has evoked various civil actions including general strikes from workforces around the capital. These further hinder progress and frictionless society, however with very few options available many feel it is their only way to send their message. The artists who have created the Sudan Banner, which will feature in the Guinness Book of Records, believe their project will be more long-lived and perhaps communicate their message in a much more appropriate way.

Via hyperallergic 
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