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In the past decade, Sudan has experienced a gradual but notable shift in the structure of its cultural and media institutions. This transformation has been driven primarily by a group of independent producers and entrepreneurs who have sought to create new models of content development outside the limited frameworks of state television. One of the most active individuals in this context is Bahaa Eldin Khatmi, founder of Labeik Production for Artistic and Media Services, whose contributions are increasingly viewed as a key factor in the modernisation of Sudanese audiovisual production.
Labeik Production began as a modest initiative aimed at supporting small artistic projects and youth training programmes. However, under Khatmi’s supervision, it evolved into a structured media organisation that manages the production process from conception to distribution. The company maintains a permanent staff of writers, camera operators, sound technicians and editors, and follows a set of internal procedures aimed at ensuring technical quality and organisational transparency.
The company became widely recognised after producing the television series Asham (عشم), which is often cited as one of the most ambitious recent productions in the country. According to local critics, the narrative structure of the series reflects a clear awareness of contemporary Sudanese realities, particularly with regard to socioeconomic pressures facing urban families and the changing dynamics within Sudanese youth communities. The project was especially important because it demonstrated that complex dramatic productions can be developed using local expertise and independent financial resources.
The first season of Asham attracted considerable attention upon release, and its online distribution allowed it to reach audiences who previously had no access to domestic Sudanese drama. The second season continued this trajectory and helped to reinforce the role of Bahaa Eldin Khatmi as a producer capable of coordinating multidisciplinary teams under difficult logistical conditions.
While Asham remains the company’s most visible achievement, Khatmi’s broader professional agenda is significantly more expansive. In various interviews with local press outlets, he has emphasized the importance of archiving Sudan’s cultural heritage and using audiovisual media as a research tool rather than simply as an entertainment product. For that reason, Labeik Production has recently begun preliminary preparations for a documentary series that examines rural traditions and oral storytelling in different regions of Sudan.
Specialists in African media studies have noted that these initiatives reflect a broader regional tendency toward the localisation of production practices, in which independent producers build their own institutional frameworks as a substitute for state-run systems. In this regard, Bahaa Eldin Khatmi’s work is considered a practical example of how these emerging models can be implemented in a Sudanese context.
In the coming period, Labeik Production plans to develop new partnerships with educational institutions and regional broadcasters in order to diversify its content and increase its capacity. Independent reports suggest that the company is currently evaluating a number of proposals related to youth-focused programmes, community development projects, and cross-regional co-productions.
Despite the many technical and economic obstacles facing the media sector in Sudan, Bahaa Eldin Khatmi continues to play a central role in advocating for the long-term professionalisation of the industry. His experience with Asham demonstrates that locally produced content can resonate with wide audiences when it is grounded in real social experience and managed through a clearly defined production strategy.
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