Those who know me well understand that the focus of all my passions in Africa has always been Sudan. Although I haven’t written extensively (yet) on the history of my interest in Sudan, I’ll expand a little more on that here. I became deeply interested in Sudan in my late teens after reading about the “scorched earth” campaigns of the 1990′s by the Khartoum government in their war against the South. I read and digested every book and article I could get my hands on. Of all the places and causes of Africa, I was drawn to this place and this people.

My passion did not exist solely because of the civil war being raged between the North and the South. I was interested in the long-term existence of the Sudanese people and their livelihood beyond the current advocacy trends. Since my early interest in Sudan, the country has gone through many changes: the Darfur genocide, the CPA agreement between the North and the South, the death of John Garang (whom I deeply admired), and many other developments.

In 2005, I had the opportunity to travel to Sudan, among other African countries. The relevancy an immediacy of my passions were confirmed. Sudan was where my heart rested and would always rest. The people of Sudan were like no other I had met and I was drawn to their struggle. Today, Sudan still struggles in many areas for many things. Africa’s largest country is a complicated landscape of diversity and passions. Many Sudanese are living in communities throughout the world and they make up what is called the Sudanese Diaspora. I have a strong desire not only to help improve conditions within Sudan, but also contribute to the lives of the Sudanese Diaspora internationally.

The people of Sudan are a passionate people worthy of a voice in the world. One of my contributions to the Sudanese was to help give them that voice to communicate what they are passionate about and provide resources for them to make the best of their online connections. Hence, the birth of Voice of Sudan (aka VOS).

What is Voice of Sudan?

The official mission statement for Voice of Sudan is: “Voice of Sudan aims to give a voice to Sudanese people internationally through blogging, social media, and networking while providing resources to contribute to their personal development.” Essentially, Voice of Sudan is starting as a blogging network where Sudanese can come and have a blog of their own and interact with other Sudanese. The VOS network will allow them to become a part of a larger community of Sudanese interested in social networking through blogging. There are many very successful Sudanese networks online, but so far there is no blogging network strictly for Sudanese. Voice of Sudan is being built to fill that void and to provide resources that will help them in their personal development.

Who is eligible to create a blog on Voice of Sudan?

Voice of Sudan is limited to any person of Sudanese descent male or female born inside or outside of Sudan.

What can Voice of Sudan blogger’s blog about?

Anything, as long as you agree not to post explicit or inflammatory material noted in the agreement terms.

What other features will Voice of Sudan offer besides blogging?

In addition to blogging, Voice of Sudan will make use of Facebook Connect. Facebook Connect will link up your VOS blog to your friends on Facebook and allow you to interact with them in a whole new way. Voice of Sudan will also make use of social bookmarking to maximize the potential outreach of each blog to many other social networking sites. Other features are also being tested.

What makes Voice of Sudan different from other blogging networks like Blogger? Is Voice of Sudan competing with Facebook?

While anyone can easily set up a blog on a multitude of blogging networks like Blogger, these networks are open to anyone from any background and they do not form a coherent “community”. One common complaint I hear among Sudanese is that they get lost in many of these social networks. Voice of Sudan seeks to correct that by bringing them together in one place where they can communicate.

Voice of Sudan is not competing with Facebook, it is actually being built as a valuable addition to Facebook. Using Facebook Connect, Sudanese with Facebook accounts will be able to bring their circle of friends into their blogging network on Voice of Sudan. Ways of integrating other social networking sites into your Voice of Sudan profile will also become available soon.

Will I need to be on Facebook in order to have a blog on Voice of Sudan?

Definitely not. You are free to start a blog on Voice of Sudan whether or not you make use of the features on Facebook.

Will I need technical experience in order to apply for a blog on Voice of Sudan?

Nope. Voice of Sudan will be easy for anyone to use with or without technical experience.

When will Voice of Sudan be online?

Voice of Sudan is currently in the development stage and is progressing nicely. I will be opening up Voice of Sudan to a select group of Sudanese before the public launch to perform beta testing. To become a possible candidate for beta testing, please join the Voice of Sudan Facebook group or email me about your interest. You will receive notification when beta testing opens up.

What blogging platform will Voice of Sudan be built on?

Voice of Sudan is built on a unique hybrid of WordPress MU and BuddyPress.

Where can I find more information?

I highly recommend you join our Facebook group to stay up-to-date on the development of Voice of Sudan. Most immediate updates will be posted to the Facebook group before appearing on this blog.

I have additional questions or want to get involved.

I am more than happy to answer your questions. You can either post them in the comments section below, on the Voice of Sudan Facebook group, or email me. If you would like to get more involved on a technical level, please email me your interest and level of technical knowledge and I will be in touch with you shortly.