A quarterly specialized journal
The Message Of Folklore from Bahrain To The World

Red Bricks in Al Jraif East in the Sudan

Issue 44
Red Bricks in Al Jraif East  in the Sudan

This paper is based on the results of field collection in the summer of 2009; in which the researcher recorded interviews with artisans. The researcher used the observation approach and documented the craft with photographs and transcripts of the recordings, which are in the archives of the Department of Folklore at the University of Khartoum’s Institute of African and Asian Studies.

The paper, which includes illustrations, describes the stages involved in making red bricks in Al Jraif East. At the beginning of each season following the floods and rains, the process begins with the preparation of tools, the most important of which is the tarbizah. The paper also focuses on the time that production and distribution take, the workers’ daily routine, the output, and the techniques used to sell the bricks.

Al Jraif East has the largest red brick-producing industry in Sudan and in its capital Khartoum. This industry has led to economic growth in this and other regions. The citizens’ economic conditions have improved due to the construction in Khartoum and other cities. In Al Jraif East, making red bricks is an ancient craft and the backbone of reconstruction and construction. All the capital’s houses, schools, universities, army barracks and ministries are built with red bricks from Al Jraif East.

This craft has resulted in many changes in the region, contributing to the community’s development in terms of education, construction and culture. The craft has helped to build schools, clubs, mosques, vocational institutes and technical schools. Moreover, the daily and annual revenues are used for teachers’ salaries and public services in the region and are donated to education, healthcare and other services.

 

Asaad Abdel Rahman Awad-Allah,

Sudan

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