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The Sudanese working-class town of Atbara is the headquarters of the Sudan railways. Nicknamed
City of Steel and Fire by Sudanese workers, the town remains a major site of labor activism and radical politics. This book chronicles the struggles of railway workers against the Sudanese colonial and postcolonial governments. Sikainga's text will interest Sudanese scholars, labor historians, and students of radical politics. Based on numerous oral interviews and extensive archival research, this book is destined to become the authoritative text on Sudanese labor history.
For more than 50 years, the railway workers of Atbara formed the core of the Sudanese working class and became one of the most dynamic and militant labor movements in Africa and the Middle East. A key characteristic of the Sudanese labor movement was its close association with the Sudanese Communist Party, the second largest communist party in Africa until its termination in 1971. Railway workers contributed to the demise of two military regimes: Ibrahim Abboud in 1964 and Jafaf Nimeiri in 1985.
List of contents
CONTENTSCONTENTSContentsIllustrations ixPreface xiAbbreviations xiiiA Note on Transliteration xvIntroduction 1Photo Essay 171.The Foundation of a Colonial Town: Atbara, 1906-1924 252.The Evolution of a Company Town: Atbara, 1925-1939 433.Railway Workers in an Urban Milieu 654. Labor Protests, Trade Unions, and Nationalist Politics, 1940-1955 975. The Making of a Militant Town: Atbara, 1956-1969 1236. Atbara under the May Regime, 1969-1984 149Conclusion 177Appendices 181Glossary 203Bibliography 205Index 215
About the author
Ahmad Alawad Sikainga is Associate Professor of History and African-American and African Studies as well as Director of the African Studies Center at The Ohio State University.
