One of the most urgent needs of our time is the absence of accessible information, context, and historical grounding in stories, reporting, and writing about Sudan, Palestine and other ongoing genocides. School of Instituting Otherwise (IO) is creating a way for those who hold this knowledge to reach a wider community of the public including journalists, writers, artists, and anyone seeking to narrate the truth intentionally and with care. Many do not have access to what is happening on the ground unless they are tied to a major media platform and even then, access is often limited to those working within institutions.
So how and where do independent and emerging journalists, writers, students and artists begin? Where do they and a wider public go to ensure that their work and understanding of the world is rooted in thorough ground research as well as historical understanding?
As part of our media literacy intensives, School of IO will offer a series of lectures and discussions that directly address these questions. We bring in individuals working in alternate media, advocacy networks, and human rights organizations to share their knowledge firsthand. This, we hope, will support the shaping of an ongoing, accurate story. More importantly, it will help make people aware of what is actually happening on the ground; what histories of occupation, empire, genocide, war, and conflict are tied to the present moment; and what urgencies must be addressed by journalists, writers, and artists.
The school becomes a conduit between what is happening on the ground and what gets written. This is small but significant work in a time when many infrastructures are designed to hinder the circulation of knowledge, information, and, of course, the truth.
Narrating Sudan: Histories, Silences, and the Work of Telling with Husam Mahjoub
Course Description:
Across Sudan, an ongoing genocide and humanitarian catastrophe continue to unfold with limited global attention and restricted access to grounded, contextual knowledge. For many independent journalists, writers, artists, and cultural workers, the absence of reliable information, historical framing, and on-the-ground testimony has become one of the most urgent obstacles to telling the story with accuracy, care, and responsibility.
This intensive emerges in response to that need.
When: February 2026, Consecutive Weekends. Registered participants will be notified of exact dates.
Where: Online ( Zoom )
Course Facilitator: Husam Mahjoub
Husam Mahjoub is a cofounder of Sudan Bukra, an independent nonprofit TV channel watched by millions of Sudanese viewers. A telecom professional and activist, he holds master’s degrees from the London Business School and Georgia Tech and currently lives in Austin, Texas. He has published articles on politics, human rights, the economy, culture, and international affairs.
Course Session Plan:
Through 3 sessions of discussion, lectures, and guided conversation, the course will address:
Session 1: A history of the conflict/war/genocide in Sudan.
Session 2: What are some of the current events that no one is talking about that needs attention.
Session 3: What must we bear in mind as we cover Sudan. What are the ethical, moral and other journalistic frameworks we need to develop as we cover Sudan?
Who can apply:
This course is open to anyone with an interest in the subject. Be it journalists at all stages of their careers, as well as students, writers, researchers, and artists working on war, conflict, genocide, occupation, and empire. Whether you are beginning to cover Sudan or deepening ongoing work, or really want to learn and understand the urgencies of our times, the course aims to equip you with critical context, grounded insight, and tools for telling the truth in a time when many infrastructures work to obscure it.
Questions? For more, email us at institutingotherwise@gmail.com.
Follow us. On Instagram.