The Truth of the Matter | Dr. Ibrahim Shaqlawi The Return of Al-Basil Babiker..

The Truth of the Matter | Dr. Ibrahim Shaqlawi

The Return of Al-Basil Babiker..

“With words and gratitude, we honor Al-Basil Babiker.” With these words, Sudanese poet Zeinab Babiker Abdullah Al-Shubli immortalized the legacy of her grandfather, the omda Al-Bakhit Babiker Dahwi, known as “Al-Basil Babiker.” There is disagreement among heritage scholars over the correct pronunciation of the name.

Some pronounce it with the letter seen (Al-Basil), signifying courage and bravery, while others believe the correct pronunciation is with the letter dhal (Al-Badhil), conveying generosity, nobility, and giving. In any case, what concerns us in this article is both meanings in the poem, which transcended praise and chivalry to become an expression of a human value and social behavior that has remained an integral part of Sudanese life throughout history.

In the Sudanese collective consciousness, Al-Basil and Al-Badhil are not merely a knight who draws his sword, but a person who shoulders the burdens of others, comes to the aid of the needy, and does not abandon his companion when circumstances become difficult.

This is a culture of solidarity and mutual assistance that has forged social cohesion in times of hardship and continues to give society the ability to withstand challenges.

We invoke this value today to remind the government that managing the state during times of crisis requires drawing upon these meanings. Many Sudanese who have endured the war and its consequences, displacement, the loss of sources of income, and declining public services are facing mounting pressures in securing food and medicine, continuing their children’s education, and meeting transportation costs. In confronting these burdens, it is not enough for the government to announce austerity and spending-cutting plans. It must provide a practical answer to the people’s question: What will the state do to ease the suffering that strikes them every morning from every direction, in markets, public services, and the cost of living?

At its emergency meeting on Sunday, chaired by Kamil Idris, the Government of Hope discussed a plan to reduce government expenditure and measures to ease the cost of living, alongside discounted sales outlets, a project to provide bread at lower prices, and a programme to restore essential services. These are issues that directly affect citizens’ needs. However, their significance will remain contingent on the government’s ability to move beyond announcements and deliver tangible results that people can feel in their markets, homes, their children’s schools, and healthcare facilities.

The austerity citizens expect is linked to a serious reassessment of the state’s priorities, beginning with curbing waste, unnecessary spending, and government privileges, while simultaneously protecting resources allocated to health, education, and essential services. Here, the political meaning of Al-Basil Babiker becomes clear: leadership must begin by shouldering the burden before asking people to bear it, and the state must be a partner in confronting the crisis, not merely an authority that explains its causes and urges people to be patient.

In food and medicine in particular, the government’s response must move beyond limited interventions towards a policy that ensures the availability of essential commodities, curbs their rising costs, and supports access to treatment for the most vulnerable groups.

Hunger does not wait for plans to be completed, and a patient cannot postpone the need for medicine until economic indicators stabilize. The same applies to education, which should not become a privilege reserved for families able to afford school fees and transportation costs, but a right protected by the state, particularly in a society whose resources have been exhausted by war and whose generations’ future has been threatened.

Transportation and commuting have also become part of the equation of daily living, as their costs multiply for workers seeking to earn a living, students trying to reach their schools, and patients who need to get to hospitals. Easing citizens’ burdens therefore requires looking at the entire system of daily life, rather than relying solely on discounted sales outlets or reducing the price of a particular commodity. Citizens do not simply buy food; they also bear the cost of reaching it. Likewise, they do not need a school seat alone, but also transportation that enables them to get there.

Throughout the years of war, Sudanese society has demonstrated extensive forms of solidarity by sheltering displaced people, sharing food and medicine, and supporting affected families through community kitchens known as “Takayas.” This spirit is not a substitute for the state’s responsibility; rather, it is evidence of the value upon which its policies should be based. Popular initiatives can fill some gaps, but they lack the resources to manage a national crisis of this magnitude.

What is therefore required is for the government to move from observing society’s capacity to endure to developing serious policies that help people reclaim their lives and dignity.

The return of Al-Basil Babiker, as we mean it in #The_Truth_of_the_Matter, is not a call to revisit history, but a test for Dr. Kamil Idris’s government. Governments are not measured by what they say, but by what they accomplish, and they are not exempt from accountability because the country is in crisis. When official rhetoric fails to provide bread, medicine, and services, promises become a veil concealing failure, and silence in the face of people’s suffering becomes a failure of responsibility.

Does the government understand that courage lies not in justifying the crisis, but in confronting it, and that power is not a privilege exercised from above, but a trust tested when people suffer? Sudan does not need a government that invokes austerity, but one that embodies its principles. Otherwise, Al-Basil Babiker will remain present in heritage and values, yet absent from the state.

May you remain in good health and well-being.

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Shglawi55@gmail.com