The power of storytelling and activism
Yassmin 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.
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This event is part of the LSE Festival: How to save the planet running from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026. This year's Festival explores how existential threats including the climate crisis, conflict and AI are affecting all parts of the world, transforming the way and where we live, and how our societies function. With a series of events asking what can we be doing to save the Earth, its people and environment? Booking for all Festival events will open on Monday 18 May.
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