I AM NALA

34 | They Cannot Take Our Humanity | Emtithal Mahmoud

Episode Summary

In this powerful episode of I AM NALA, host Aya Chebbi is joined by Sudanese-American poet, peace advocate, and survivor Emtithal Mahmoud for a deeply personal conversation on survival, identity, and resistance. From losing 16 family members in the war to walking 1,000 kilometers across Sudan for peace, Emmy shares what it means to grieve in motion, speak while mourning, and lead while healing. Through poetry, activism, and storytelling, she challenges the weaponization of gender-based violence, the erasure of indigenous cultures, and the misrepresentation of Sudan’s crisis in global narratives. This episode is a raw and urgent reflection on dispossession, dignity, and why survivors—not soldiers—are the ones keeping Sudan alive.

Episode Notes

Key Topics Covered

• Living through genocide and the displacement of her family
   
• The walk for peace across Sudan and what it symbolized
   
• How tribal and cultural identities were deliberately fractured
   
• Weaponizing gender-based violence as a tool of war
   
• Survivor-led resistance and building humanitarian response networks
   
• The dangers of oversimplified narratives about Sudan’s conflict
   
• The revolution, counter-revolution, and what the international community must understand
   
• The role of poetry and storytelling in healing and advocacy
   

Standout Quotes

“They can take our lives, but they cannot take our humanity.”
“Survivors are rarely survivors of just one thing. We carry many wounds—and we still lead.”
“When the land isn’t safe, and your body isn’t safe, where do you go? You go to each other. That’s what we do.”
“I am Nala because my existence is an act of defiance. And so I live.”

 Resources & Mentions

• Sisters’ Entrance – Poetry collection by Emtithal Mahmoud
   
• IDP Humanitarian Network – Grassroots mutual aid led by survivors in Sudan
   
• United for Sudan Petition – Calling for an immediate ceasefire and justice
   
• Dr. Nisreen Al-Ameen – Anthropologist working on land, dispossession, and Sudanese history
   
• Nura Hussein Campaign – Landmark case challenging marital rape laws in Sudan
   
• People Like Us & Daughter – Poems featured in the episode
  
     Call to Action
  If this episode moved you, share it widely. Follow the I AM NALA podcast, leave a review, and amplify survivor voices.
  Join the call to demand a ceasefire in Sudan.
  Support local networks. Center survivors. Stand with our people.

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Creator & Host: Aya Chebbi

Producer: Omom Mbu-Ogar

Graphic Designer & Audio engineer.: Kenechukwu Nwachukwu

Music License Agreement signed for the Use of ‘Fire’ by Mpho featuring MiDi KwaKwa