Writer Adel Al-Qasas: The Intellectual is a Creative, Tense, Different, and Penetrating Figure
Interviewed by: Al-Asmai Bashari
Adel Al-Qasas is one of the few who define themselves as writers, and it seems to me that this quality is written in his passport; considering that writing is a profession that requires dedication, just like any other profession. Among the Arab writers, only a few of them have leaned on writing as a profession and identity, like Adel Al-Qasas and the Moroccan Mohammed Berrada.
The writer and critic Adel Al-Qasas surprises you with his ironclad memory, a wide network of knowledge, and relationships that can be described as rare. He says: He accompanied diverse Sudanese cultural and creative generations to an extent that he cant accurately categorize his own generation within the dense debate in the Sudanese cultural scene. Al-Qasas has a wide-ranging experience, tangled with the complexities that connect the cultural with the political and social aspects as well.
Defining the intellectual within the context of experience:
I asked him about the heated debate surrounding the definition of the intellectual and how he views this debate. Al-Qasas has his own way of answering questions from distant times and places, directing you to the precise details of his experience that intersect with others, who have left their marks in the cultural and political scene in Sudan.
Al-Qasas starts his story with his initial exposure to the propositions that the Islamic approach presents, from Muhammad Mutawalli Al-Sharawi to Mustafa Mahmoud. He sees that the initial salvation was with Salama Musa and Dhikri Najib Mahmoud.
He remembers this during his early years of rebellion while still being young, in the middle stage, and his great passion for drawing and reading. The diverse sources of this knowledge allowed him to establish an open horizon among friends, families from various creative backgrounds in arts, literature, music, etc. This included his social connection with the house of Sheikh Al-Din Jabrill, where most of his children are engaged in literature, theater, music, and art. This includes relatives such as Mahmoud, Abdul Atim, Abdullah, and Mariam, children of Muhammad Al-Tayeb, who are the first cousins of Sheikh Al-Din Jabrill, Alawiya, and Fatima.
Al-Qasas continues to say that what is striking in the context of being influenced by such a household and others is the democratic spirit from the seniors towards the juniors. Moreover, most of them, even if they are not known as creators, had a distinctive socio-cultural sensitivity, a kind of progressiveness, from family to political organizations. This granted him rich social relationships that transformed into cultural ones and branched out to other sources and figures, such as Ahmed Sharif and Ahmed Al-Mustafa Al-Haj.
The first, according to Al-Qasas and contrary to the scarcity of his published texts, has a notable contribution in short stories. His literary observations are a live critique, whether in short stories, novels, or theater, which is truly qualitative. Al-Qasas wished for his critical thesis, which he earned a diploma from the Higher Institute of Music and Theater, to find its way to publication. This thesis was about realism in radio drama entitled Hamdan Allah Abd Al-Qadir.
As for the second, Mustafa Ahmed Al-Haj, he was one of the richest in imagination among Al-Qasas. He had a strong connection to the environment and was enveloped in the Arabic language, especially in syntax and rhetoric. He was the first linguistic reviewer and auditor of Al-Qasas texts. His notes were not without the experience of a skilled short story writer, and even references to eminent short story writers like Abdul Salam Hassan Abdul Salam, especially his masterpiece It happens as usual.
Here, Al-Qasas invited some skillful translators, like Mustafa Adam, Magdi Al-Naim, Najla Al-Tom, and Jamal Ghulab, to translate literary texts by Ahmed Sharif, Ahmed Al-Mustafa Al-Haj, Mohammed Osman Abdul Nabi, Bashar Al-Kutbi, Mohammed Khalaf Allah Suleiman, and certainly others. This could potentially contribute to an anthology of short stories in Sudan.
Al-Qasas emphasizes that these individuals have enriched his creative formation as creators and writers. He highlights Bashar Al-Kutbi as an example, who will open up his socio-literary creative space within a group that the martyr Abdel Khaleq Mahjoub classified as Guevarists. They named their group The Vanguard of Revolutionary Laborers - influenced by the liberation movements in South America, Central America, and Asia. In addition, Bashar is seen as one of the best individuals known in this group, and among them, theres Tahir Abdul Rahim, who is currently in the Northern region, perhaps out of frustration, coming from the Shaygiya area.
Al-Qasas says, Tahir used to visit me during my work at the central library of the University of Khartoum. I used to sneak him into the journals section. He, who I considered an exemplary intellectual, followed in the footsteps of Muawiyah Nur, and developed them. I noticed he was reading New Left Review in English, which I later realized was edited by the British Jamaican (E.P. Thompson), whose insight extended to issues of diaspora, communication, identity, and related subjects, broadening my horizon of reception and interaction.
Al-Qasas continues to grasp the definition of the intellectual through his experience. He points out that these Guevarists were mistakenly assumed, due to their lightheartedness, to have no connection with classical Marxist heritage. He read The State and Revolution, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, historical materialism writings, and Scientific Materialism among them, in addition to Man with a Single Dimension. He also heard about the necessity of art by Ernst Fischer (I later read it at the school library through an exemplary teacher).
For Al-Qasas, his memory is loaded with nostalgia and a desire to document the experiences of many writers and creators who have influenced his journey and expanded his knowledge. He highlights the importance of critically studying Al-Hambata as a social and cultural phenomenon, avoiding a flat old reading of it, and linking it to the issue of social justice in Sudan. He suggests comparing it with similar Western narratives that reached us through critical writing, arts, and cinema.
Here, Al-Qasas moves through different periods, spanning across locations within Sudan and beyond. It extends from the Blue Nile in the village of Al-Shakaba and Wad Nubaawi in Omdurman to the University of Khartoum, where he worked and encountered many writers, got to know important translations, and came across Arab and foreign journals. He stops at Mohammed Abdel Hai, considering him as one of the few who should be re-evaluated as a poet, researcher, critic, and translator.
Similarly, Al-Qasas wishes for a re-reading of the biographies of Muawiyah Nur and Idris Jamaa. The richness of these experiences would implicitly achieve true knowledge about the intellectual, their life, and their role. Neglecting this memory is a crime against future generations, alerting us that the Latin American memory emerged through its writers and intellectuals and how it has become a concern that troubles the restive minds of Western modernity, standing as a challenge for it.
Al-Qasas also delves extensively into important writers and critics, namely Mohammed Khalaf and Abdul Latif Ali Al-Faqi. He explores their differing views on what is considered cultural. He also stops at Abdullah Bola, who introduced him to a fresh perspective on Black Africa, and the late poet Adil Abdul Rahman. Al-Qasas states, I can say that the intellectual is the tense, the different, and the penetrating.
Beginning with the poet:
Our first focus was on the poet— who they are and how they perceive the broader Sudanese poetry scene. Al-Qasas, from a philosophical perspective, sees the poet as a criterion that can be built upon. He believes that the statement In the beginning was the Word is intended for the poet, and thus, the identity of the poet can be defined.
Al-Qasas traces the concepts of poetry to the entire spectrum of creative fields, from visual arts to musical composition and novel writing. He says, In contrast, many poets within the various poetic eras may find themselves outside the scope of this philosophical definition. With remarkable courage, Al-Qasas names individuals and experiences that lie beyond the sphere of influence in Sudanese poetic history. Through his discussion, he also praises great Sudanese poets across different eras, from Al-Tijani Saeed to Mohammed Al-Mahdi Al-Majzoub, and from Al-Nour Osman Abkar to others, spanning up to the present generation.
Al-Qasas touches on a number of significant issues related to the creative process in its various forms—poetry, singing, and visual arts. In this context, he notes that he has stirred the anger and resentment of many due to his outspoken viewpoints expressed in seminars or through new media. This has caused him some discomfort. Nevertheless, he firmly believes in the importance of connecting human values with the creative and aesthetic, without resorting to flattery. Al-Qasas laments over the abundance of extravagance and lifeless experiments, as he describes them, that occupy a significant presence within the Sudanese cultural scene. He likens them to a lever or misleading propaganda, experiences that need verification of their authenticity and earnestness according to his discourse.
The Novel Scene:
Regarding the Sudanese novel scene, Al-Qasas perceives that, based on the few publications he has encountered, there isnt a significant breakthrough to highlight. He notes that novel writing should stem from distilled experiences, and this doesnt necessarily imply a multitude of outstanding works.
Al-Qasas asserts that any discussion of Sudanese novels should not go without mentioning Tayeb Salih, whom he describes as a humble, ascetic, and courageous man simultaneously. According to Al-Qasas, if Tayeb Salih had aligned himself with an institution, group, or at least a political party, he would have likely won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
He also addresses the experience of the late short story writer Isa Al-Hulu, who inherited a cultured editorial position, much like Abd al-Qaddus al-Khatim, in both creative and journalistic spheres. Al-Hulus narrative experience is rich in language and style, portraying a great vision in character development, imagery, and settings. Al-Qasas suggests that although Al-Hulus work outside the office was limited, his dynamic persona made him a pioneer and an exemplary figure in cultural journalism.
Furthermore, he discusses the short story experience of Bashir Al-Fadil, stating that for him, Bashir Al-Fadil is one of the greatest short story writers globally and one of the grand gems in our narrative tradition. On the other side, theres Ibrahim Al-Kashif, who emerged from the neighborhood of Mahdia, a place that gathered notables and revolutionary figures. Al-Qasas adds that, in the neighborhoods alleys, especially the seventh alley, before the era of the Islamic National Front, Mohamed Ahmed Awad was a figure of art.
Al-Qasas views it as unfair not to acknowledge that this is a saying up to now belongs to (social integrity).
He reminds Sudanese novelists of the rich Sudanese sources in music and folklore, especially in material heritage, like the concept of Ghina Al-Banat (Girls Song). He wishes he had met Hawwa Al-Taqtqa (Eve of the Tambourine).
Al-Qasas circles back to the significance of place in shaping intellectuals and recalls his familys connection to Abbasiya, a district in Khartoum. He mentions that his grandmother, Amina, was the only one he saw raising ducks. Her daughter, who worked as a nurse at that time, rebelled against the prevailing norms, a behavior considered derogatory within the popular Muslim mindset. He states, I strive to meet Zeidan Ibrahim – although I had already met Al-Jabri before being joined by Omar Al-Tayeb Dosh – as these are social relationships and the remarkable relationships with its people are an integral part of my identity. I am a son of tension, and I will remain so. This is the title. In its places and its culture, Al-Qasas returns to his acquaintances with Mohammed Khalaf and Abdul Latif Ali Al-Faqi. In this context, his familiarity with them is among the best that befell him, not directly due to Edward Said, and later Faisal Darraj, nor separately from poets like Saeed Ahmed Ali. All of these serve as inspiring and nurturing sources for his narrative creative work.
The War:
The question of war naturally emerges, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Al-Qasas notes that whenever he engages in discussions or interviews, given the current turmoil and war in Sudan, the question arises. However, for creative individuals and writers in the diaspora, the question of war varies, and so do the answers.
As is his tendency, Al-Qasas revisits his memory of past eras in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, where he engaged in activities alongside the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement under the leadership of John Garang. In this context, he says, Im not here to dig into the details of that experience, but during a meeting with Sudanese academics and politicians discussing Sudans destiny, I predicted Garangs death based on clear indications known to those familiar with international politics, especially the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of African support for socialism, with the final blow being the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariams regime. The West would not allow for any new uprising or new dawn like that of the late John Garangs Sudan Vision. With the internal balance of power within the SPLM collapsing after Garangs death, I predicted the secession of the South. Since the beginning of the 2000s, I have feared the war in Khartoum. All its signs and conditions were evident to everyone. It drew closer during the era of the Islamists, when the discourse of militias dominated over political discourse.
Al-Qasas expresses deep sadness and concern. This sorrow is multiplied for Sudanese in the diaspora, who are connected to both the homeland and the internally displaced persons cities, as well as neighboring countries. He senses painful and deadly feelings, and he fears the repercussions, violence, and prolonged duration of the war in the midst of a complex regional and international context, coupled with the absence of a coherent national political discourse, even if its timid.
