Monthly Sudanese Used-book Fair, Mafroush, Is Back

Khartoum’s popular used-book fair, temporarily shuttered because of the fear of government crackdowns on civil society, was back yesterday:

The popular, vibrant used-book fair had been stopped at the end of last year, just before the shutdown of the Sudanese Writers Union. Nearby building owners were afraid to allow the book-fair to go forward after other civil-society crackdowns.

But last month, Sudanese poet-activist Mamoun Eltilb tweeted:

And indeed, yesterday — the first Tuesday of the month, right on schedule — Sudanese came out for music and books in Etienne Square. Joyful tweets and Facebook posts proliferated about the event.