'The weapons were loud, but there was always music': Sudanese band play on through the war

'The weapons were loud, but there was always music': Sudanese band play on through the war7 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePriya Sippy and Basma El AttiBBC Focus on Africa Diaa TalhaLead vocalist Ibrahem Mahmoud was arrested several times for "singing the truth"Members of one of Sudan's most influential bands, Aswat Almadina, are scattered across the world, clinging to the hope that their music will be an inspiration for peace in a nation ravaged by war.Timon was among the six members of the band who left Sudan two months after the conflict started in 2023, traumatised by the sight of dead bodies, destroyed buildings and burnt-out cars in the streets of the capital, Khartoum."It was like something out of a zombie movie," Timon tells the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.Timon - whose real name is Mohammed Almustafa - was among the founding members of Aswat Almadina, meaning Sounds of the City, in 2014. Their music blends Middle Eastern folk influences with urban pop and vibrant jazz, creating a distinctive and compelling sound from a once-peaceful city with an estimated population of more than seven million."We called ourselves 'Sounds of the City' as Khartoum is our inspiration," says Timon."Our music comes from the atmosphere in Khartoum, the natural sounds of the city, the sounds of the people, the sounds of the streets."They quickly built a devoted following, especially among Sudanese youth, and became the first Sudanese band to tour the country."I remember one time we were performing, and we saw one lady holding a sign that said: 'Your music saved my life'," says Ibrahem Mahmoud, the co-founder and lead vocalist."I always keep that memory with me - it means that our music has a big responsib...