Listen to the opening of Omer Ihsas & the Peace Messengers' album "Imagine" and you will hear this message spoken in English: "The more we dance, the more we sing, the more we live in peace."

It could be the unofficial anthem of the Sudanese Music & Dance Festival, an unprecedented gathering of musicians from the East African nation that will rock the Pritzker Pavilion on Thursday night.

The festival's goal is "to work for a united, peaceful, democratic and just Sudan," said Dr. Mutwakil Mahmoud, an adviser to the International Sudanese Arts and Music Institute, which is co-producing the event.

Of course, Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has mostly been in the news for things other than music. Because of its military government and the Darfur conflict in western Sudan, it is seen by many as one of the world's most unstable countries.

Despite the hardships today, musicians strive to remain socially engaged and to keep their music relevant. Featured in the festival are a wide range of Sudan's greatest living musicians and singers. Many of the performers have been granted political asylum in other countries; others are coming directly from Sudan. Bringing them all together was a logistical challenge.

"I don't know that this will ever happen again," said Dawn Elder, one of the festival's producers. "It was a massive undertaking."

The reunion of the Al Balabil sisters is a highlight of the festival. The trio began performing as teenagers in the '70s; they were known as "Khartoum's answer to the Supremes." In 1989, with Islamic laws in place, doors once open to women began to close. For more than two decades, circumstances in Sudan have made it impossible for the trio to perform.

Sudan may be split over political and religious beliefs, but musicians from all over the country have developed musical styles that blend new ideas and textures into a national sound.

Among these performing at the festival are singers Abu Araki al-Bakheit, Ali Alsigaid, Abdel Gadir Salim, Omer Ihsas, Mohammad Adaroab and Omar Banaga Amir. The younger generation is represented by singer-songwriter Rasha Sheikh Aldein, singer-guitarist John Kudusay and reggae/hip-hop artist Dynamq.

Yousif El Moseley is musical director for the show and will conduct the Nile Music Orchestra of Sudan. Special guest Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 former NBA player who was born in Sudan, also is scheduled to make an appearance.

Elder says these singers, songwriters and musicians are "the heart and soul of Sudan."

"In their songs, they are calling for peace, for freedom, for justice and for equality," Elder said. "They are hoping to accomplish what all the politicians and diplomats can't -- to bring the people together to create a democratic society and country."

-by Mary Houlihan