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Randok The Language of Rebellion and Resistance
Three decades ago, the realm of language in Sudan entered into a silent conflict over who possessed the authority and influence to dominate the public sphere.
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Alice: “I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory.’”
Humpty Dumpty (smiling contemptuously): “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’”
Alice: “But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument.’”
Humpty Dumpty: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
Alice: “The question is whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
Humpty Dumpty: “The question is, which is to be master—that’s all.”
Would you like any further refinements?
(Through the Looking Glass - Chapter six, Humpty Dumpty)
Building on the above excerpt from Through the Looking Glass, one can argue that everything begins with power and politics, in no particular order, followed by economics, and then life itself. This applies even to ‘language,’ the primary symbolic tool for interpreting the world around us and the dynamic arena where the struggle for control is played out and where the capacity to shape discourse, and life itself, is formed.
Three decades ago, the realm of language in Sudan entered into a silent conflict over who possessed the authority and influence to dominate the public sphere. This happened with the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in the country via a military coup.
At the time, the Islamists tightened their grip and initiated multiple changes according to a plan they had devised and which they promoted publicly. In a nutshell, this plan was to “reshape the Sudanese people,” as the slogan went. They envisaged these changes to encompass the political, social, and economic realms of life, among others. There was also a distinctive shift in language, as well as in the concepts and meanings embedded within, with the aim of tightening control over content and meaning, and consequently over relationships and individuals.
Initially, the Islamists took control of mass media and infiltrated both the public and private spheres. They introduced a language distinct from the prevailing one, imbued with religious undertones and in new expressions that replaced older ones commonly used to convey the same meanings. For those in power, official language in the early days borrowed heavily from Islamic lexicon for its expressions and thus the frequent emergence of slang words such as “shirteet, jah, juluk, kisseir talij, katamat, talas, qanzab, laqqowiya, al-tara, jawat” caused them a great deal of embarrassment.
In reality, this language battle did not erupt suddenly but rather it occurred gradually over time. Parallel languages or dialects emerged and slowly developed to the point where they overshadowed the official language favoured by the ruling Islamists. One of these alternative languages is known as Randok.
Randok was born and developed away from the gaze of officialdom until it reached maturity and spread unrestrained, manifesting itself in unexpected and initially, quite unusual modes of expression. Over time, it evolved into the everyday language of the public. While Randok did not provide its speakers with the capacity to resolve complicated questions of logic for example, it effectively met their need for day-to-day communication. Over time this novel language rose to significant prominence through embodying the literature of the peaceful Sudanese revolution that erupted in December 2018. With all the rebellion, repression and political implications of the revolution, it was striking to see people interact with mobilising statements written by protest leaders in Randok. This broke the assumption that the language of the powerful always dominates the weak.
At a certain point during the Muslim Brotherhood's rule, a specific language became a hallmark of their identity. Resistance began to take shape through people’s refusal to emulate their way of speech or to use their terms and vocabulary. This was akin to a broad rejection of the entire culture they sought to impose. Yet, this resistance remained muted and subdued under a cultural and media domination that, as it turns out, was unable to quickly evolve into a counter-resistance movement when the revolution erupted.
The first manifestation of a linguistic conflict came from al-shammasha (street boys), who developed their own unique language which reversed letters, altered meanings, and coined phrases out of contexts that would require a longer article in order to explain.
The shammasha language was later adopted by many and as it became modified with usage, Randok was created. This language evolved and expanded over time despite the difficulty in tracing the exact origins of the term Randok. It can be viewed as a phenomenon indicative of a counter-language spoken by a particular group within society. If one were to identify a contributing factor to the expansion of Randok, it would be the economic hardship that disrupted everything and led to the revolution.
From the outset, a clash between two paths was inevitable: the path of the new rulers with their desire to reshape, and the path of the oppressed masses yearning for liberation. Evidence abounds to support the notion that this clash was centered on language, significantly bolstering the language of resistance. In many ways, Randok achieved a remarkable victory. It infiltrated the language of the majority and even the language of intellectuals, creating a hybrid language that is hard to trace but which is widely embraced by its speakers.
When writing about Randok, we echo Humpty Dumpty’s words: It’s about who has the authority—that’s all. And perhaps we might add “and how to resist this authority?”
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
Alice: “I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory.’”
Humpty Dumpty (smiling contemptuously): “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’”
Alice: “But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument.’”
Humpty Dumpty: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
Alice: “The question is whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
Humpty Dumpty: “The question is, which is to be master—that’s all.”
Would you like any further refinements?
(Through the Looking Glass - Chapter six, Humpty Dumpty)
Building on the above excerpt from Through the Looking Glass, one can argue that everything begins with power and politics, in no particular order, followed by economics, and then life itself. This applies even to ‘language,’ the primary symbolic tool for interpreting the world around us and the dynamic arena where the struggle for control is played out and where the capacity to shape discourse, and life itself, is formed.
Three decades ago, the realm of language in Sudan entered into a silent conflict over who possessed the authority and influence to dominate the public sphere. This happened with the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in the country via a military coup.
At the time, the Islamists tightened their grip and initiated multiple changes according to a plan they had devised and which they promoted publicly. In a nutshell, this plan was to “reshape the Sudanese people,” as the slogan went. They envisaged these changes to encompass the political, social, and economic realms of life, among others. There was also a distinctive shift in language, as well as in the concepts and meanings embedded within, with the aim of tightening control over content and meaning, and consequently over relationships and individuals.
Initially, the Islamists took control of mass media and infiltrated both the public and private spheres. They introduced a language distinct from the prevailing one, imbued with religious undertones and in new expressions that replaced older ones commonly used to convey the same meanings. For those in power, official language in the early days borrowed heavily from Islamic lexicon for its expressions and thus the frequent emergence of slang words such as “shirteet, jah, juluk, kisseir talij, katamat, talas, qanzab, laqqowiya, al-tara, jawat” caused them a great deal of embarrassment.
In reality, this language battle did not erupt suddenly but rather it occurred gradually over time. Parallel languages or dialects emerged and slowly developed to the point where they overshadowed the official language favoured by the ruling Islamists. One of these alternative languages is known as Randok.
Randok was born and developed away from the gaze of officialdom until it reached maturity and spread unrestrained, manifesting itself in unexpected and initially, quite unusual modes of expression. Over time, it evolved into the everyday language of the public. While Randok did not provide its speakers with the capacity to resolve complicated questions of logic for example, it effectively met their need for day-to-day communication. Over time this novel language rose to significant prominence through embodying the literature of the peaceful Sudanese revolution that erupted in December 2018. With all the rebellion, repression and political implications of the revolution, it was striking to see people interact with mobilising statements written by protest leaders in Randok. This broke the assumption that the language of the powerful always dominates the weak.
At a certain point during the Muslim Brotherhood's rule, a specific language became a hallmark of their identity. Resistance began to take shape through people’s refusal to emulate their way of speech or to use their terms and vocabulary. This was akin to a broad rejection of the entire culture they sought to impose. Yet, this resistance remained muted and subdued under a cultural and media domination that, as it turns out, was unable to quickly evolve into a counter-resistance movement when the revolution erupted.
The first manifestation of a linguistic conflict came from al-shammasha (street boys), who developed their own unique language which reversed letters, altered meanings, and coined phrases out of contexts that would require a longer article in order to explain.
The shammasha language was later adopted by many and as it became modified with usage, Randok was created. This language evolved and expanded over time despite the difficulty in tracing the exact origins of the term Randok. It can be viewed as a phenomenon indicative of a counter-language spoken by a particular group within society. If one were to identify a contributing factor to the expansion of Randok, it would be the economic hardship that disrupted everything and led to the revolution.
From the outset, a clash between two paths was inevitable: the path of the new rulers with their desire to reshape, and the path of the oppressed masses yearning for liberation. Evidence abounds to support the notion that this clash was centered on language, significantly bolstering the language of resistance. In many ways, Randok achieved a remarkable victory. It infiltrated the language of the majority and even the language of intellectuals, creating a hybrid language that is hard to trace but which is widely embraced by its speakers.
When writing about Randok, we echo Humpty Dumpty’s words: It’s about who has the authority—that’s all. And perhaps we might add “and how to resist this authority?”
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
