"I had to abandon many things but also leave without knowing when I'd return, or if the things I did leave would be there when I got back," she said.
Abdullah is a member of a youthful art scene that gained momentum from the popular uprising against autocrat Omar al-Bashir and finds itself scattered by war four years later. Now, she and her husband are taking refuge in Shendi, a city 150km north of Khartoum, where she plans to give birth and then leave Sudan all together.Under Bashir's Islamist rule, cultural and social activities were strictly controlled. When he was toppled in 2019, there was a cultural outburst that included street murals and contemporary music.
Shadad's gallery has raised just over $8,500 of a $30,000 target to support artists financially during the war.