• Growing up across Somalia, Italy, and Saudi Arabia—and experiencing FGM at age 7
• The emotional and physical trauma of FGM, including its long-term impact during childbirth
• Why FGM must be recognized and prosecuted as child abuse, not cultural practice
• The role of language in policy, aid, and advocacy—reframing FGM, child marriage, and labiaplasty
• How patriarchy drives all forms of genital control—across race, class, and region
• Creating survivor-led initiatives and safe spaces for healing
• Reimagining feminist solidarity and cross-cultural resistance
• The power of parenting, art, and love in breaking cycles of harm

“What happened to us wasn’t culture. It was child abuse—and the body remembers.”

“We don’t practice violence. So let’s stop calling it a practice.”

“Patriarchy is the root of it all. If we want to end violence, we must start there.”

“Women’s bodies have always made money. That’s why they’ve always been controlled.”

“I am Nala because I choose to be present—with love.”

• Power of Language Position Paper – by The Girl Generation
• The Crocodile Documentary – Leyla’s landmark film on FGM in the UK
• The Girl Generation – Support to the Africa-led Movement to End FGM
• World Bank and University of Birmingham data on FGM mortality
• FGM Mortality Study – University of Birmingham, 2023
• CSW events on FGM and survivor-led care

________________________________________
Want to support the Nalafem?

Website nalafem.org

Instagram @IamNala_podcast

Tiktok I AM NALA Podcast

Facebook Nala Feminist Collective

X (Twitter) @Nalafem

YouTube Nala feminist Collective

Linkedin Nala Feminist Collective

Learn more about the Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto and how you can help the young women of Africa create a better life for future generations. nalafem.org/manifesto

For collaboration and sponsorships contact: aya@nalafem.org

____________________________________________

Creator & Host: Aya Chebbi

Producer: Omom Mbu-Ogar

Graphic Designer.: Kenechukwu Nwachukwu

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

Key Topics Covered

• Growing up in Khartoum and the women who shaped her voice
• The revolution, grassroots organizing, and youth-led research for change
• The outbreak of war and the immediate humanitarian response
• The gendered violence faced by Sudanese women—on an unimaginable scale
• Evacuating students, building trauma centers, and creating safe spaces
• How U.S. aid suspensions cripple life-saving work
• Redefining peace through survival, service, and solidarity
• Why global solidarity must go beyond hashtags
  

Standout Quotes

“I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was afraid of being raped.”
“Peace used to mean volunteering. Now it means saving lives with nothing in your hands.”
“Sometimes we must choose: do we feed you, or do we protect you? That is the price of war.”
“Healing for a mother means seeing her child go to school without fear.”

Resources & Mentions

• Emergency Response Room – Sudanese grassroots initiative led by Hanin
• UNSCR 1325 – Women, Peace, and Security framework referenced
• Nalafem’s CSW68 Solidarity Night – A global platform amplifying Sudanese women
• Volunteer trainings in Sudan & DRC – Highlighting Hanin’s regional feminist work
  

______________________________________________

Want to support the Nalafem?

Website nalafem.org

Instagram @IamNala_podcast

Tiktok I AM NALA Podcast

Facebook Nala Feminist Collective

X (Twitter) @Nalafem

YouTube Nala feminist Collective

Linkedin Nala Feminist Collective

Learn more about the Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto and how you can help the young women of Africa create a better life for future generations. nalafem.org/manifesto

For collaboration and sponsorships contact: social@nalafem.org

____________________________________________

Creator & Host: Aya Chebbi

Producer: Omom Mbu-Ogar

Graphic Designer : Kenechukwu Nwachukwu

Audio engineer: Joy Wambui

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