[4] It became a small Turko-Egyptian outpost,[citation needed] which grew rapidly following the 1925 Gezira Scheme of irrigation to stimulate local economic development.

The river banks of Wad Madani lie East the Blue Nile, which flows into Sudan from Ethiopia.

In an article about the rise and decline of cinema in the city of Wad Madani, the popularity of "going to the movies" was explained in terms of its importance for public cultural life, providing a "fresh breath of freedom in light of the country’s independence."

This type of film show was presented in different neighbourhoods by the Ministry of Information by means of automobiles that could provide for a screen and a projector, managed by a specialised projectionist.

Censorship was exercised by special committees in order to protect social cultural values, but still with respect to the plot and artistic character of the films.

"[12] Starting in the 1970s, the spread of television and, more importantly, new taxes and restrictive laws, introduced in September 1983 by the Islamist government under Jaafar Nimeiry and followed by stricter censorship, led to the decline of cinemas that became gradually abandoned and derelict.

Frequent cinema goers turned away from the films that could still be shown, as these performances no longer provided "a space for their rebellion against issues afflicting internal and external societies such as racism, injustice and politics.