Seed was a popular Sudanese singer-songwriter and composer, active from the late 1970s onwards until his death in 1996.
Mostafa Seed Ahmed, one of Sudan’s most renowned vocalists, songwriters, and composers, remains popular and adored in the nation’s music scene. In a little village called Wad Sulfab in the Al Jazirah State of central Sudan, not far from the city of Al-Hasa, Seed Ahmed was born in 1953. He is currently regarded as one of Sudan’s top poets due to his refined, “ideological,” style of poetry. He was also credited for developing a distinctive form of Sudanese singing.
Millions of people have fallen in love with the iconic Sudanese artist’s soulful melodies from the debut of his career. He taught high school before enrolling for four years at the Khartoum College of Music and Drama, where he eventually earned his degree in the late 1970s, ultimately dedicating his entire life to music and art.
We’ve compiled a list of some little-known facts about the late Mustafa Seed Ahmed in honor of the trailblazing Sudanese musician.
Early life and Education
He attended primary and secondary “industrial schools,” where he finished second place for technical certificates in Sudan. Despite this, he chose to forgo technical schools and chose to enroll in Port Sudan Secondary School before continuing on to the Omdurman Teachers Training Institute. He worked at the Institute of Music and Theatre’s Department of Music for five years.
Other skills
He was a talented all-around artist who was also skilled in plastic art and drawing. Since he could not enroll in the Institute of Music and Theater while he was still a teacher, Mostafa submitted his resignation and spent some time working as a textile designer in the Bahri textile mill.
Early career in music
His debut piece, “Al Makboul,” was written in honor of his deceased brother and was influenced by a folk tune he first heard in 1965 at a wedding in his village. He performed poetry compositions about the desire for freedom and the fight of the Sudanese people against tyranny in songs like “Third culture kid,” “Noble grief,” “Something about you,” “Passport,” and “The distance.” He was also famous for his simplistic style and thought-provoking lyrics that many Sudanese could identify with.
His death
He experienced kidney failure just before passing away on January 17, 1996, as a result of a complication from his renal disease. Receiving his body at Khartoum Airport was an emotional experience despite the security measures preventing people from visiting and the media blackout over the announcement of his passing. There was a mass of people in the public spaces and streets close to the airport.