11 Facts About Mahjoub Sharif

Mahjoub Sharif, born as Mahjoub Muhammad Sharif Muhammad, was a Sudanese poet, teacher and activist for human rights.

Mahjoub Sharif became known in Sudan and other Arabic-speaking countries for his colloquial poetry and his public engagement, both committed to further the causes of democracy, freedom, general well-being and national identity.

Mahjoub Sharif's poetry was put to music by eminent musicians, such as Mohammed Wardi and Mohamed Mounir, but led to repeated political imprisonment under different Sudanese governments.

Mahjoub Sharif was born in a rural setting to a family of petty traders and spent his childhood in Omdurman, while visiting a primary school in the town Arab.

Mahjoub Sharif moved away from the trade of his family and was trained as teacher in the Maridi Institute for Teachers in Khartoum; afterwards he was a primary school teacher most of his working years.

However, although some unauthorized translations exist, almost none of Mahjoub Sharif's writings are available in English or other languages.

Mahjoub Sharif's poetry is characterized by a combination of colloquial, picturesque, playful, but forcefully engaged language that has earned him the name 'people's poet' and mixes "observations on everyday life and politics with love songs and poems for children".

Mahjoub Sharif stressed feelings of sadness, missed chances and the perception of common causes across both countries:.

Mahjoub Sharif's case was made part of BBC's Prisoners of Consciousness series, presented by David Attenborough.

Mahjoub Sharif died on 2 April 2014 at a hospital in Omdurman and was buried in the graveyard Ahmed Sharfi in the same town.

Mahjoub Sharif's funeral was attended by hundreds of Sudanese and broadcast by several major Arabic news channels, among them Sky News Arabia, Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Arabiya, and BBC Arabic.