Mahjoub Sharif

Mahjoub Sharif (1 January 1948 – 2 April 2014), born as Mahjoub Muhammad Sharif Muhammad, was a Sudanese poet, teacher and activist for human rights.

He became known in Sudan and other Arabic-speaking countries for his colloquial poetry and his public engagement, both committed to further the causes of democracy, freedom, general well-being and national identity.

His poetry was put to music by eminent musicians, such as Mohammed Wardi and Mohamed Mounir, but also led to repeated political imprisonment under different Sudanese governments.

Mahjoub Sharif was born in a rural setting to a family of petty traders and spent his childhood in Omdurman, while visiting a primary school in the town Arab.

He moved away from the trade of his family and was trained as teacher in the Maridi Institute for Teachers in Khartoum; afterwards he was a primary school teacher most of his working years.

Due to his poems critical of the regime of Gaafar Nimeiry, he was imprisoned the first time in 1971, followed by numerous prison spells throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

This was also connected to frequent suspension from public service and short-lived permission to continue after release from prison.

Mahjoub Sharif's main body of work consists of poems that range from short children's songs to long revolutionary elegies.

He also wrote plays and short stories for children, one of which – Zeinab and the mango tree – has been published in Dutch, French and English (see Publications).

However, although some unauthorized translations exist, almost none of Mahjoub Sharif's writings are available in English or other languages.

Mahjoub Sharif's poetry is characterized by a combination of colloquial, picturesque, playful, but also forcefully engaged language that has earned him the name ‘people’s poet’ and mixes "observations on everyday life and politics with love songs and poems for children".

His lyrical style is often shown with this poem on the security apparatus of oppressive regimes:

Hey, buffoon!

Cling tightly!

Beware falling apart!

Beware and be alert!

Bend your ears to every sign of movement

Keep watch on your own shadow

and, when the leaves rustle,

Shut yourself off and keep still!

Life is so dangerous, buffoon.

Open fire!

Bullets aimed at everything

every word uttered

every breeze passing

without your permission

My lord buffoon.

Instruct the sparrows,

the village lanterns,

the towns' windows,

every whispering blade of grass

to report to you.

As police, let the ants infiltrate

and build the security state

Ask the raindrops

to write their reports,

Buffoon...

His poetic language therefore also lent itself to express views beyond governments’ official discourses, for example during the separation of northern and South Sudan, which was marked by polarized hostility.

Mahjoub Sharif stressed feelings of sadness, missed chances and the perception of common causes across both countries:

The trees have passed