Sudanese cartoonist: Censorship not just something in some far away land

Khalid Albaih found freedom of expression on the internet because there was nowhere else.

Khalid AlbaihKhalid Albaih (Source: Alejo Arango)

A Romanian-born, Sudanese cartoonist currently living in Copenhagen after spending many years in Doha, Qatar, Khalid Albaih is unsurprisingly reluctant to pigeonhole his identity.

“I’m Muslim, I’m black and I speak like a Harvard white guy; I gladly embrace all of these things. Identity should be a race to embrace as much as possible,” he told The Slovak Spectator.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Albaih spoke at a panel discussion, Central European Forum: On the Freedom of Speech, on September 13 in Bratislava for [fjuzn], a multicultural festival that aims to build trust and understanding between Slovaks and foreigners in Slovakia, and which this year was on the theme of identity.

SkryťTurn off ads

He spoke exclusively to The Slovak Spectator about his beginnings as a cartoonist, forced exile from his homeland, the pernicious influence of social media and how he plans to build Sudan’s first ever public library.

A lot to say, nowhere to say it

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

The Dočasný Kultúrny Priestor venue in Petržalka.

Picking up where others left.


Katarína Jakubjaková
New projects will change the skyline of Bratislava.

Among the established names are some newcomers.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
SkryťClose ad