Aslaf

Aslaf is a traditional Afro-Sudanese ensemble from Sudan.

The band's music revolves around what we call "Sud-Afro-Folk" which is a combination of traditional Afro-Sudanese rhythms and melodies played using both modern and traditional instrumentation and harmony. The band's instrumentation includes, voice, guitar, oud, bass guitar, flute, drums and traditional percussions. Aslaf continues to work towards preserving and advancing Sudanese musical heritage, that has endured decades of dictatorship and artistic oppression.

Sudan is culturally an extremely rich country with 18 states, 587 tribes and more than 130 local spoken languages, this also highlights the diverse musical heritage of the country. Failure to manage cultural and ethnic diversity in Sudan has resulted in many years of conflict, in many regions that suffer till this very day. One of the solutions to these problems is recognizing this diversity, rather than imposing and highlighting a specific culture while marginalizing the other, and we aim to use music as a tool to solve the issues that continue to divide our country. Music is the mirror that reflects the identity of people and plays a vital role in uniting people and facilitating peaceful coexistence between them.

30 years of dictatorship has oppressed artists and put a hold on the development of the Sudanese cultural industry while playing an active role in disconnecting Sudan from the rest of the world, especially our African continent. In addition to using our music to solve our national challenges, we aim to use our music to drive attention back to Sudan and play a vital role in the re-integration of Sudan within the African continent and the world .