Saturday 20 June 2026 3.30pm - 4.30pm

The power of storytelling and activism

Hosted by LSE Festival: How to save the planet

Y.M. Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese author, screenwriter and award-winning social advocate. Born in Sudan, Yassmin's first job as a teenager was in a coal mine in rural Australia. After graduating with first class honours in Mechanical Engineering, Abdel-Magied trained and worked as a MWD (Measurement While Drilling) contractor and drilling engineer across Europe, Australia, Asia and the USA.

Her debut literary novel At Sea will be published on 21 May 2026, a takedown of the machismo of Big Oil. Yassmin is dedicated to the civilian movement in Sudan, and the celebration and amplification of Sudanese culture. In all her work, Yassmin is an advocate for transformative justice and a fairer, safer world for all.

Yassmin's previous titles include action packed teen fantasy Silverbrook: the essay collection Talking about a revolution; and two novels for younger readers, You must be Layla and the award-winning Listen, Layla. Yassmin is currently a writer on British continuing drama Emmerdale, and her original drama series Cruise Control is in development with the BBC.

Joanna Lewis is a Professor in the Department of International History at LSE, and Director for the Centre for Women, Peace and Security in the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa. She is a historian of Africa, empire, and world history explored through imperialism, colonialism and inequality. Her last book Women of the Somali Diaspora: Refugees, Rebuilding and Resilience (Hurst, 2021) was inspired by her Somali undergraduate women students.