Sudan Series: Neighbourhood Nights

Thu 12 February, 18:30
£12 (£6 Conc) + bf

Following on from our last hugely successful For Sudan event held in summer 2025, we invite you this February to an evening of games played across Sudan, folkloric storytelling, and an intimate music performance

Come along and bring your memories of playing, your personal game rules, and, most importantly, yourselves! Alongside classic games, hear regional stories from Afia Abusham and Yassmin Abdel-Magied, and traditional folk music such as Aghaani Hakeeba from musician Ahmed Al Lord, we’ll also be sharing the warmth of Sudanese hospitality through food and drink that celebrate the country’s culinary traditions.
We are looking forward to celebrating and learning more about the culture we all love so dearly and are striving so fiercely to protect.

Programmed by Eljae and Ahmed Akasha. Check out the ‘Evening Programme’ tab below for full details.

Presented by Grand Junction in partnership with Shubbak Festival.

This event is generously supported by National Lottery Heritage fund as part of the You Are Here project

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Proceeds from this event will go towards putting on this and other community events run by Grand Junction. We welcome and encourage donations to Mutual Aid Sudan and Waging Peace, in support of people in Sudan living through, and those displaced by, the ongoing war.

Storytellers

Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese author, screenwriter and award-winning social advocate. A former mechanical engineer, Yassmin has published five books, including essay collection Talking About A Revolution (PRH, 2022) and two novels for younger readers, You Must Be Layla (Puffin, 2020) and the award-winning Listen, Layla (Puffin, 2021). She has most recently signed a two book deal with Hachette UK for teen series, The Hidden Legacy and has a forthcoming adult novel. In 2024, Yassmin was selected for the coveted ITV Original Voices placement, joining the team on acclaimed British Continuing Drama, Emmerdale.

An award-winning speaker and globally sought-after advisor on leadership and organisational strategy, Yassmin has delivered keynotes and workshops in 25 countries. She founded her first organisation, Youth Without Borders, at the age of 16, leading it for nine years before co-founding two other organisations focused on serving women of colour. Her TED talk has been viewed over 2.5 million times and recognised as one of TED’s top 10 ideas.

Afia Abusham

Afia has always been captivated by stories and the way they transport us to new worlds, a passion that led her onto stages around the globe. Drawn to the power of theatre and live storytelling, she trained in Acting in New York City before performing with The Classical Theatre of Harlem and at several London venues, including The Harold Pinter, Bush and Unicorn Theatres.

She is also a poet and musician, using both mediums to explore her experiences and Sudanese heritage. Her musical background brings a natural rhythm and melody to her work, enriching the stories she shares and deepening the connections they create.

About the Programmers

Eljae

Eljae is a poet, cultural curator, and community organiser, in search of the perfect hot chocolate. With an expansive creative practice, she has recently been the contributing poet for Senegal for Sudan’s #DrawAlong. Eljae was also poetry cohort lead and co-curator for Moving Forward Sudan’s 2024/5 fundraiser exhibition: Roots and Realities. She is currently working on her first poetry pamphlet; meanwhile, her poems can be read on Sapelo Square, in adda magazine, PANK magazine, and The Colour of Madness amongst others.

Ahmed Akasha

Ahmed is a London-based art director, creative strategist, and multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of design, culture, and social impact. With a background spanning media, visual arts, and storytelling, Ahmed brings a bold, intuitive eye to his work—crafting visual identities, campaigns, and experiences that are both culturally resonant and strategically thoughtful. As an art director, he leads with a collaborative, human-centred approach, guiding teams and clients from concept to execution across digital and print. His multidisciplinary artistic practice blends graphic design, photography, film and narrative work, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and power. Whether working with grassroots collectives or global brands, Ahmed uses creativity as a tool for equity, connection, and transformation.

Watch the video below to see highlights from the first For Sudan event (Co-curated by Waleed Elgadi and Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Filmed by Abdulism).

Proceeds from this event will go towards putting on this and other community events run by Grand Junction. We welcome and encourage donations to Mutual Aid Sudan and Waging Peace, in support of people in Sudan living through, and those displaced by, the ongoing war.

Date: 12 February 2026

Start Time: 19:00

Doors: 18:30

Bar:  Open from 18:30. We serve a selection of craft beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks.

Length: approx. 4 hours

Standard Tickets: £12 + bf

Concession Tickets: £6 + bf

Concession tickets are available for those on low or no income (recipients of Universal credit or Pension Credit) and full time students

We recommend pre-booking tickets to guarantee entry. Booking on the door will result in an additional fee of £1.

Venue: Grand Junction at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Rowington Close, London W2 5TF

Closest Stations: Royal Oak (Circle and Hammersmith & City line) 0.3 miles

Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo line) 0.4 miles

Paddington Station (National Rail services and Circle, District, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City line) 0.9 miles

 

6:30 – 7:00 | Arrival, Food & Chat

Experience a warm Sudanese welcome on arrival with food, drink and atmospheric music featuring the songs of Sudan’s past and present.

7:00 – 7:10 | Welcome

Opening words from the evening’s cultural programmers.

Music, Games & Shared Experiences

7:10 – 8:40 | Parallel Experiences

Guests get to experience different activities taking place across the venue.

Folk Music Workshop

Led by musicians Ahmed Allord and Dinan Alasad, this interactive workshop explores the cultural importance of Sudanese folk music. Through storytelling, rhythm, and call-and-response, participants get to learn sections of a traditional song together, one that will be revisited later in the evening.

Games & Play

Guests are invited to learn and play games that have been passed between generations in Sudan and continue to be played today. Through brief demonstrations and open play, these games offer moments of connection, curiosity, and shared enjoyment.

Storytelling

8:50 – 9:40 | Stories from Across Sudan

Three voices, three stories, each rooted in a different part of Sudan, come together to reflect the richness and diversity of a beautiful country. With Afia Abusham, Ola Elhassan, Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

Folk & Traditional Music

9:40 – 10:15 | Live Music with Ahmed Allord

The night closes with a live music set, drawing together the sounds, stories, and shared moments of the evening — including the song learned earlier — before a warm farewell.

10:15 | Close