Revolution from Iftar: Arts Activism from the Sudanese Diaspora
Join Georgetown University’s African Studies Program; Center for Contemporary Arab Studies; Conflict Resolution M.A. program; Communication, Culture, & Technology; Department of Anthropology; Film & Media Studies; Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association, the Institute for the Study of International Migration, the Lab for Global Performance and Politics, and the MENA Forum for this film screening and discussion organized and moderated by Kawther Berhanu (MSFS’22).
A play on the name of the film Revolution from Afar, this event will be a screening of the film about Sudanese-American poets and musicians engaging in performances and a conversation around dual identity and belonging to Sudan, from which they have been physically cut off during the 2019 revolution. The Sudanese revolution happened during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in which some of the key protests happened during Iftar, the time when people would break their fast in the evening. Watch the film followed by a panel discussion with the director and cast members.
Event Schedule
6:00-7:30 pm | Film Screening of Revolution from Afar | HFSC Film Screening Room
7:30-8:00 pm | Iftar Intermission at Georgetown Masjid for those observing the Ramadan fast
8:00-9:00 pm | Panel Discussion and Dinner | HFSC Social Room
Kawther Berhanu (Moderator): Born to Eritrean parents, Kawther Berhanu is a Master’s candidate at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service with a Certificate in African Studies. Inspired by her volunteer experience with Sawiyan, a grassroots organization supporting and advocating for African-origin refugees, and the activism of the local DMV-diaspora community, she helped organize a Congressional Member Briefing on the Sudanese Revolution while on the Hill in 2019. As a Charles B. Rangel Fellow, following graduation, Kawther will be joining the Foreign Service as a Public Diplomacy-coned Officer. She is particularly interested in social movements, cultural diplomacy, and Africa and African diaspora
Panelists:
Bentley Brown, Director of Revolution from Afar, PhD Candidate UC Boulder
Bentley Brown is a Ph.D. candidate in Critical Media Practices at the University of Colorado Boulder. Brown is a filmmaker and musician with research interests in language and the technological mediation of memory. His fiction and nonfiction films deal largely with the psychology of cross-cultural migration and identity, particularly in his childhood home of Chad, and later experiences in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Prior to starting his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder, Brown was a lecturer in filmmaking and interactive media at Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He holds an MA in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University and a BA in International Studies from Emory University.
Bayadir Osman, Cast Member, Poet, Activist, MPH Johns Hopkins
Bayadir Mohamed-Osman is a Sudanese American public health professional and poet based in Maryland. She is currently pursuing her Master’s of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School. She graduated from American University (AU) with a Bachelor’s in Public Health. Currently, she provides young adults with disabilities professional development and supports meaningful employment. Her poetry examines her intersectional identity as a Black Muslim Sudanese woman. She uses her platform and voice to advocate for marginalized communities and her home country Sudan. Her debut book is Secondhand Smoke.
G-Salih-Cast Member, Rapper, Poet, Activist
Born to Sudanese parents, Gihad, known as G-SALIH, is a Virginia-based recording artist and humanitarian. He connects them through the universal nature of life’s journey, exploring various social issues and questioning stigmas. Triumph is uniquely sown in his DNA and his hunger radiates in his tone, fueled by the duty he feels to his parents’ sacrifices and to support those who need it most in communities like the ones in his homeland. His honest, self-reflective, lyrical content have grabbed the attention of over 100,000 listeners around the world. He is also the co-founder of HUMAN INTL, a clothing brand and social movement spreading a message of leadership, equality, and activism that partners with humanitarian organizations to raise money for their efforts.
Dr. Elobaid Elobaid, Georgetown ISIM Affiliated Scholar, UNOHCR Senior Advisor
Dr. Elobaid is an Affiliated Scholar and Adjunct Professor for the Institute for the Study of Internatonal Migration (ISIM) at Georgetown University. This semester he is teaching a course on Migration and Human Rights. Dr. Elobaid is currently working with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as a Senior Advisor on the Human Rights of Migrant Workers with focus on the GCC countries. He served as a Representative of OHCHR for Yemen (2017 -2020) and a founding Head of the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-west Asia and the Arab Region (2011 -2017). He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Khartoum, a Master’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and a PhD in International Law of Human Rights from McGill University in Canada. His doctoral thesis focused on the relationship between human rights and cultural diversity in Muslim Africa. He worked as a lawyer in the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, and he also taught international law of human rights, international protection of minorities, public international law, and Islamic law at McGill University before joining the United Nations in 2004. Moreover, he also worked as an Expert/Advisor on Governance and Legal and Judicial Reform for the Canadian Government (CIDA), the United Nations, the US Government (USAID) and various other institutions in relation to Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, the GCC countries, etc.
Public Health Guidelines Georgetown University is a vaccinated campus. To ensure that every person’s visit to campus is as safe as possible we require everyone who is not an active GU student, faculty, fellow, or staff to upload proof of vaccination in advance of the event and affirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 the day of the event. If you are a visitor to campus, please take a moment to upload your vaccination information here. Special accommodation for those with a medical or religious exception is available with documentation and a recent negative PCR test.
This event is made possible thanks to funding from a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education for Georgetown University as a National Resource Center for the Middle East and North Africa. Please email mcf77@georgetown.edu with requests for medical accommodation by April 11, 2022. A good faith effort will be made to accomodate requests made after that date.