I, the undersigned, would like to raise my concern about the Sudan Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020 regarding the new design that is showing up on social media and the issue with the "volunteers" that the Pavilion organisers are requesting. These include talents and the so-called scientists.

The open call for volunteers includes ushers, musicians, artists, and “scientists”. The call requests that the volunteers have to travel and find accommodation for themselves. We can all understand an open call with an agenda to reach out to people to volunteer for a good cause due to the lack of budget given that there is a a strong curatorial concept. But a call when the only agenda is a nation/nationalism is problematic.  

The requested volunteers should be treated with respect, commissioned and provided with travel and accommodation. They are representing Sudan, at the very least have respect to Sudanese who have earned the respect that the organisers mention. Furthermore respecting their practices by seeking them out as opposed to this call, which is lazy at the very best. The organisers do not want to carry out the necessary research to create a carefully chosen team that responds to a well put together agenda in which they know they are contributing, and a process that acknowledges and respects the volunteers practices. Furthermore what is “scientists”?

An agenda that is solely a nation and supporting it really brings to mind a question about what nations are. If we assume that nations are projects, a collective project, then do we remain part of the collective that we disagree fundamentally with and seek other projects and collectives in which our values are aligned? This is in reference to the collective of the "Sudan Pavilion" and its misrepresentation.

We only grow as collectives and as humanity when we can gracefully give and receive critique.

I, the undersigned, seek to shed light on the choices made in this Pavilion to ensure we do better next time.

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Image to the right is the initial design, image to the left the current design.