Sudanese-American artist raises awareness about country’s crisis through comedy

The Sudanese population in the U.S. is small, according to the latest U.S. Census data … a little over 92,000 overall and 2,579 in Illinois. A significant share of that number are in the Quad Cities-making their way there as refugees escaping violence and conflict in their home country decades ago. 

Among them are the family of Samir Abdul. He’s a stand-up comedian and Artist-in-Residence at Northwestern University. Today, Abdul is based in Chicago, but he was born in Sudan and grew up in the Quad Cities. He will be performing on Friday at the Speakeasy in Rock Island.

Abdul has a personal connection to the current situation in Sudan, which involves a brutal civil war that has left more than 150,000 people dead and millions displaced. As a survivor of the Darfur Genocide in the early 2000's, he discusses how his past experiences shape his work today. 

GUEST

Samir Abdul
Comedian
Artist-in-Residence, Northwestern University
Darfur Genocide survivor