Today takes us to Sudan. A fascinating country with a turbulent past.
Sudan was one of the reasons I started this project. I know that sounds absurd, but during the deep, dark depths of this winter’s lockdown, I rewatched Michael Palin’s Pole to Pole. It was a show I enjoyed on Sunday nights as a young child, and Palin’s adventure left a lasting impression on me.
I was particularly taken by Palin’s experiences in Khartoum where he visited the dwindling British presence epitomised by the faded grandeur of the Sudan Club. Sudan was part of the British Empire as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan until 1956. In Khartoum’s blistering heat Palin interviewed an aged Professor Woodruff who scorned the waiting staff and warned him from eating the salad if he wanted to avoid dysentery. Apparently, the Sudan Club served a mean pool-side scotch egg though.
Palin visits the Sudan Club at 24:50
This led me down a lockdown-driven rabbit hole. Where was the Sudan Club? Did it still exist? Were the salads safe to eat? Does it still serve scotch eggs? If not, what had become of it and of the former members?
I started researching the history of the Sudan Club. Frustratingly the internet has almost no traces of the existence of this once opulent oasis. I eventually discovered a Facebook group organising a reunion for past members. I eventually ended up talking to a past member, Ruth. She was incredibly kind and indulged my curiosity.
Ruth didn’t know exactly what had happened to the Sudan Club, but she explained The New Sudan Club (the site Michael visited) wasn’t actually the original Sudan Club. It was created when the government decided to requisition the original club. In exchange, the government confiscated the home of a wealthy Greek family and given to British ex-pats as a replacement club. Eventually, the property was returned to its rightful owners. Ruth wasn’t sure if another site was ever found for the club. Khartoum is now home to a “Greek Club”. Could this be the same club? Does it now serve souvlaki instead of scotch eggs? I guess we’ll never know.
Courtesy of Khartoum's Sudan Club Reunion
One detail I can fill in though is that Professor Woodruff, who died in 1992 was incidentally was a professor of tropical medicine. So perhaps his advice on the salads was worth taking.
Before I go, I wanted to share one other story about Sudan. Sudan is in a special minority of countries as it is actively denying a territorial claim. The area in question is Bir Tawil, a 2060 square km stretch of land that both Egypt and Sudan deny is theirs. Why, because both countries have their eye on a much larger piece of land named the Halaib Triangle. In this treacherous game of geopolitics, the loser gets stuck with the tiny, almost worthless Bir Tawil. This was the perfect opportunity for the American Jack Shenker to step in and attempt to claim it for his daughter back in 2014. Unsurprisingly for everyone other than Jack Shenker, this scheme didn’t go so well…
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