On Tuesday 3 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum screened a film, Beats of the Antonov, by Hajooj Kuka, followed by a discussion.

Sudan has been in an almost constant state of civil war since it achieved independence in 1956 and divided into two sovereign states in 2011. On the border between South Sudan and Sudan, the inhabitants of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions continue an armed struggle for cultural, social and economic rights. In the face of constant bombing by the Russian-made Antonov planes deployed by the Sudan government, civilians are forced to seek shelter in mountain hideouts and refugee camps.

Beats of the Antonov focuses on the everyday survival of people who have lost family, homes and livelihoods in the ongoing conflict, but instead of dwelling on the devastation the film records communities responding to adversity by the celebrations of their heritage in music, song and dance.