"The Waning Season" - Oliver Gerhartz
After the fall of a 30-year dictatorship in 2019, Sudan entered a period of uncertainty—a mix of fragile hope and lingering fear hung in the air. No one realized that this was merely the calm before the storm, a brief respite before the upheaval of 2023 that would shatter all confidence at once. During this fleeting moment of stillness, the photographs for THE WANING SEASON were taken in the capital, Khartoum.
Khartoum is located in the heart of Sudan, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, forming the junction of Omdurman to the west, Khartoum to the south, and Bahri to the north.
THE WANING SEASON is not a documentary about Khartoum; instead, it provides a subjective reflection from an outsider's viewpoint. It does not seek to offer answers but rather raises additional questions.
At times, the city feels dark and cold despite the unyielding brightness and heat. The streets are rough and dusty, with buildings standing as silent witnesses to transience, their walls adorned with painted messages. Everything is at a standstill, a sense of stagnation lingering—a moment suspended before night finally yields to day. The city rests, movement reduced to a whisper. There is little traffic and few people. Years of dictatorship have drained it, leaving it exhausted. The same stillness seeps into its people, where hope feels fragile.
And yet, in contrast to this paralysis, there is almost a gentle suggestion regarding Khartoum and its people in their gestures, expressions, and glances, indicating a people with strong will, kindness, and a yearning to continue through the morass that political upheaval serves them.
On April 15, 2023, engineers, supervisors, and craftsmen departed the construction site for the final time. That same day, war broke out in Sudan with a brutality few could have imagined. Since then—as of January 2025—200,000 people have lost their lives, over 11 million have been displaced, and more than half of the population now suffers from hunger. This book examines the residents of Khartoum and the uneasy moment before the current season of anxiety, conflict, and loss.
Oliver Gerhartz is an architect. In 2020, his firm was commissioned to renovate the German Ambassador’s residence in Khartoum. The project was never completed.
After the fall of a 30-year dictatorship in 2019, Sudan entered a period of uncertainty—a mix of fragile hope and lingering fear hung in the air. No one realized that this was merely the calm before the storm, a brief respite before the upheaval of 2023 that would shatter all confidence at once. During this fleeting moment of stillness, the photographs for THE WANING SEASON were taken in the capital, Khartoum.
Khartoum is located in the heart of Sudan, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, forming the junction of Omdurman to the west, Khartoum to the south, and Bahri to the north.
THE WANING SEASON is not a documentary about Khartoum; instead, it provides a subjective reflection from an outsider's viewpoint. It does not seek to offer answers but rather raises additional questions.
At times, the city feels dark and cold despite the unyielding brightness and heat. The streets are rough and dusty, with buildings standing as silent witnesses to transience, their walls adorned with painted messages. Everything is at a standstill, a sense of stagnation lingering—a moment suspended before night finally yields to day. The city rests, movement reduced to a whisper. There is little traffic and few people. Years of dictatorship have drained it, leaving it exhausted. The same stillness seeps into its people, where hope feels fragile.
And yet, in contrast to this paralysis, there is almost a gentle suggestion regarding Khartoum and its people in their gestures, expressions, and glances, indicating a people with strong will, kindness, and a yearning to continue through the morass that political upheaval serves them.
On April 15, 2023, engineers, supervisors, and craftsmen departed the construction site for the final time. That same day, war broke out in Sudan with a brutality few could have imagined. Since then—as of January 2025—200,000 people have lost their lives, over 11 million have been displaced, and more than half of the population now suffers from hunger. This book examines the residents of Khartoum and the uneasy moment before the current season of anxiety, conflict, and loss.
Oliver Gerhartz is an architect. In 2020, his firm was commissioned to renovate the German Ambassador’s residence in Khartoum. The project was never completed.
After the fall of a 30-year dictatorship in 2019, Sudan entered a period of uncertainty—a mix of fragile hope and lingering fear hung in the air. No one realized that this was merely the calm before the storm, a brief respite before the upheaval of 2023 that would shatter all confidence at once. During this fleeting moment of stillness, the photographs for THE WANING SEASON were taken in the capital, Khartoum.
Khartoum is located in the heart of Sudan, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, forming the junction of Omdurman to the west, Khartoum to the south, and Bahri to the north.
THE WANING SEASON is not a documentary about Khartoum; instead, it provides a subjective reflection from an outsider's viewpoint. It does not seek to offer answers but rather raises additional questions.
At times, the city feels dark and cold despite the unyielding brightness and heat. The streets are rough and dusty, with buildings standing as silent witnesses to transience, their walls adorned with painted messages. Everything is at a standstill, a sense of stagnation lingering—a moment suspended before night finally yields to day. The city rests, movement reduced to a whisper. There is little traffic and few people. Years of dictatorship have drained it, leaving it exhausted. The same stillness seeps into its people, where hope feels fragile.
And yet, in contrast to this paralysis, there is almost a gentle suggestion regarding Khartoum and its people in their gestures, expressions, and glances, indicating a people with strong will, kindness, and a yearning to continue through the morass that political upheaval serves them.
On April 15, 2023, engineers, supervisors, and craftsmen departed the construction site for the final time. That same day, war broke out in Sudan with a brutality few could have imagined. Since then—as of January 2025—200,000 people have lost their lives, over 11 million have been displaced, and more than half of the population now suffers from hunger. This book examines the residents of Khartoum and the uneasy moment before the current season of anxiety, conflict, and loss.
Oliver Gerhartz is an architect. In 2020, his firm was commissioned to renovate the German Ambassador’s residence in Khartoum. The project was never completed.