Cathy Wilcock is a researcher based in the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague. She completed her PhD at the University of Manchester and specialises in the political anthropology of migration. She works with Sudanese communities in the UK and the Netherlands and is interested in music as a form of transnational claim-making. She is also a songwriter and spoken word artist as one half of the Manchester and Rotterdam-based duo Gymnast.
Luke AG has recently won spoken word awards at Hammer and Tongue at the Edinburgh Fringe, H&T at the Royal Albert Hall and the Hastings Fringe Slam. With a distinctly political and historical message, Luke uses poetry and rhyme to work through a narrative of his own life, and the people around him. Originally from Hastings, a lot of his poems work through his journey from a small town to the big city, with a couple of pit stops along the way.
Samah Abdu is a Sudan-born cultural awareness campaigner, spoken word artist and chef working on creating a social space for international Sudanese diaspora to artistically engage in dialogue. She encourages artists and creatives to learn about Sudanese culture and heritage through Niolotic music jam nights and sharing cultural food knowledge with local and international citizens. She also campaigns for social justice, human rights and equality through collaborating with local community kitchens.
Mustafa Abubaker is a Sudanese activist and spoken word artist who works on youth and community development in Sudan. Born in Ivory Coast, raised in the Middle East, he studied and lived in New York before returning to re-discover his homeland. In Sudan, Mustafa founded Makaan Arts and Culture org., studio1, Sudan Drums and more to create safe spaces for youth to express and develop themselves through open mics, poetry nights, music nights, discussion forums etc. Mustafa started various initiatives and programmes targeting social change through arts, as well as bringing together youth from Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan to develop skills for addressing social change and development through arts.
This event is part of Mint Works's cultural programme GHOST.
