Sarah Elawad: When the War is Over

Through Sunday, May 10
The Africa Center, New York

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The Africa Center Plaza Commission, 2025

Sarah Elawad's When the War is Over transforms The Africa Center’s Fifth Avenue windows, offering a powerful and poetic visual statement that engages passersby in a conversation about culture, memory, and resilience.

Born in London with familial roots in Sudan, Elawad draws on personal memory, diasporic identity, and contemporary design to respond to Sudan’s ongoing and underreported conflict. At the heart of Elawad’s installation is the tobe—a traditional Sudanese garment that has evolved into a powerful symbol of womanhood, cultural identity, and revolutionary presence. For Elawad, it becomes both material and metaphor: a fabric that binds women across generations, geographies, and political struggles.

The words “When the war is over I will make space for my feelings” come from a text by the poet Safia Elhillo entitled “One year of war in Sudan.” Elhillo reflects on the impossibility of articulating a response to the conflict, a burden that resonates with Elawad, who writes: “Amid loss and upheaval, we rarely have space to grieve, to feel, or to simply be.” 

Reinterpreting the tobe in vibrant, contemporary patterns, When the War is Over responds to Sudan’s conflict and erasure of cultural heritage with a quiet act of defiance and care, inviting viewers to reflect on the stories that survive through fabric, form, and collective remembrance.

Art Exhibitions Sites & Attractions: Public Art Community Central Harlem

Schedule & Tickets

Through Sunday, May 10 · Free · add to calendar today 2026-03-03 09:00:00 2026-05-10 17:00:00 America/New_York Sarah Elawad: When the War is Over https://harlemonestop.com/event/33614/sarah-elawad-when-the-war-is-over The Africa Center, 1280 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10029