Episode 1 – Nubia Is Still Alive Today: Identity, Memory and Liminality in Displacement
While enduring various waves of migration displacements and cultural and political marginalization, Nubians have been living in a liminal space of collective memory, nostalgia, and reconstructed identities. In Egypt, after the displacement of 1964, Nubians are now dispersed in a number of urban centers across the country. In addition to the displacement villages in Kom Ombo north of Aswan. Today’s podcast acts as an introduction to the Nubian people and their story. Yahia will be tackling three general topics – how contemporary Nubians are preserving their identity in a continuous struggle to move forward while looking at the past, how post-displacement memories manifest in daily life, the formation of a collective Nubian identity, and how this culture is preserved. This podcast will appeal to fans of identity formation, construction, memory, politics, discussions of nostalgia, liminality, or even people interested in relatively unknown historical topics.
Yahia Saleh is an activist engaged in issues concerning ethnic minorities, queer identities, and political participation. Together with other Nubian youth activists who have worked to raise Nubian issues to the political sphere after decades of marginalization, he has advocated for cultural recognition and land rights. Faced with the combined challenges of race, ethnicity, and sexuality, he advocates for these different identities in a variety of contexts. He is currently based in Malmö, Sweden, amd has recently obtained a master’s degree in international migration and ethnic relations at Malmö University, which won the 2023 silver metal in the Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare’ MA Thesis Award.
