Letter from Africa: How poetry is taking on state censorship in Sudan

by Dramelin 7:00 PM 0 comments

In 2015, Darfur-born Yale poet Emitihal Mahmoud won the Individual World Poetry Slam with a poem called "Mama".
In what can only be described as a modern renaissance, Haqeeba songs have recently been remixed by young Sudanese producer Sammany.
Once used to provoke national feeling, poetry is now used by contemporary Sudanese poets to wrestle with a conflicted national identity.
Founded five years ago, the spoken-word poetry event has relied on mailing-list invites and donated venues to escape censorship and police intervention.
Image copyright NAS THE NOTEPAD Image caption Young poets in Sudan have found strength in using their voices to speak out against injustice in a country where censorship has become the normIn our series of letters from African journalists, Yousra Elbagir looks at how Sudan`s young poets are taking on the state using literature.