Kandake of the Sudanese Revolution

Kandake of the Sudanese Revolution (also known as Woman in White and Lady Liberty of the Sudanese Revolution;

On 6 April, the Sudanese Professionals Association called for a march to the military headquarters in Khartoum.^[6][7] Hundreds of thousands of people protested and converged at the headquarters, where the security forces and military appeared to be divided in their allegiances. Some security forces tried to attack the protesters, while the military took the protesters' side and fired at the security forces.^[8] The following Sunday, social media was blocked and the power was cut in Sudan as protesters began a sit-in at the military headquarters in Khartoum, which lasted for a week until the Khartoum massacre on 3 June.^[9]

The photograph

On the morning of 8 April, the army and secret services faced off at the headquarters, resulting in six deaths, 57 injuries, and 2,500 arrests in Khartoum over the weekend.^[10] The police were instructed not to intervene.^[11] "Every day I was there, capturing photos," Haroun recalls. "It felt like history itself."^[12]

On the same day, Lana Haroun took four images, using her smartphone (

Salah's white robe, a traditional Sudanese thoub, resembles the dress of female Sudanese protesters against previous dictatorships, as well as that of student protesters who were referred to as "Kandake" after ancient Nubian queens.^[17] Her golden earrings are traditional feminine wedding attire.^[17] The image has been seen as a symbol of the Sudanese people's pride in their culture and identity.^[18] According to Nesrine Malik from The Guardian, the image captured the energy and determination of the Sudanese people as they called for political change and social justice.^[19] Commentators referred to her pose as "the image of the revolution".^[17]

The image that came to be known as the Kandake of the Sudanese Revolution^[20][21][22] (also known as Woman in White^[23][24][25] and Lady Liberty of the Sudanese Revolution^[26][27][28]) was widely shared on social media and caught international media attention.^[24][29] According to Lana Haroun, there was a dearth of global attention on the events unfolding in Sudan, but after her picture gained traction, it seemed as if there was a sudden shift in the world's attention and people from all over the world started taking notice of the situation in Sudan.^[12]

The image become a symbol of the Sudanese Revolution and a representation of women's leadership in social movements.^[18] Salah, a 22-year-old student studying engineering and architecture,^[30] has become a symbol of women's leadership in the protests and a role model for young Sudanese women.^[29] In her first interview since the picture went viral, she spoke about the importance of women's participation in the protests and their role in shaping the future of Sudan,^[29] with some estimates claiming that up to 70 per cent of the protesters had been women.^[29] The image has also inspired a wave of feminist and women's rights activism in Sudan, with many women taking to the streets and using social media to voice their demands for equality and representation.^[18] Hala Al-Karib, a Sudanese women's rights activist, said: "It is a symbol of an identity of a working woman — a Sudanese woman that's capable of doing anything, but still appreciates her culture."^[31]

According to a list compiled by The Guardian, Alaa Salah's iconic photograph has been included among 48 protest photographs "that changed the world".^[12] The symbolism of the photo also inspired many Sudanese artists.^[22]

Aftermath

Sudanese revolution