The 2015 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, Sudanese-American poet and activist, Emtithal ‘Emi’ Mahmoud once again echoes the voices of the dispossessed at the 2021 climate summit in Scotland.
The incredible ‘Emi’, whom took home the crown of World Poetry Champion in Washington, D.C., six years ago, is back with her palpably impassioned and thought-provoking style of poetry, delivering another heartfelt poetic address before world leaders at this year’s climate summit.
Emtithal, herself a refugee and witness to the dire situation in Darfur (a region in western Sudan) has used her voice to call for urgent action, while concomitantly raising awareness to the efforts made by refugees to adapt to their habitats. On Monday afternoon, Emtithal took to Twitter to explain the inspiration behind the poem ‘Di Baladna’, which she wrote for the summit, citing, among other things, the village her father was born in no longer existing due to climate change and the conflict in Sudan.
“I wrote this poem to open the door to our truth, the urgency & lasting change,” she wrote in the short yet apropos Twitter post, providing a straightforward and simultaneously profound summary of the urgent need to break ground and pave the way for long-lasting change.
For years, the veteran poet has voiced her concerns over the plights of the dispossessed refugees she has met, determinedly bringing attention to the hardships endured by Syrian refugees in Jordan and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh; struggles she once experienced as a child before escaping from Darfur.
“How will the world end?” Emtithal expresses rhetorically. “I don’t know. And I don’t want to find out. Not in our generation, and not in the next.”
To see the full video for ‘Di Baladna’ and more pertinent content from Emtithal, head over to her official Twitter page.
Written by: Liam Spencer
Wordplay & Flow 