We couldn’t do what we do without our writers – their contributions are vital to our ongoing work.
Learn more about the columnists and regular contributors who help us share stories of life in Sudan and South Sudan.
Columnists
Ola Diab
Column: Unfiltered: Words By the Editor
Ola is the founder and editor of 500 Words Magazine and the deputy editor of Marhaba Information Guide, Qatar’s leading information resource. Born in Sudan in 1991 and based in Qatar, she graduated from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Since then, she has built a successful career in Qatar’s print and digital media industry.
Find her on X (formerly Twitter) @therealoladiab or on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/ola-diab.
Butros Nicola Bazia
Column: South Sudan in Focus
Born in Khartoum, Sudan in 2001, Butros is a South Sudanese freelance writer, storyteller, and cultural commentator based in Juba, South Sudan. Nicola serves as columnist at 500 Words Magazine and contributed to multilingual regional and international platforms including The New Humanitarian, Mundo Negro, El Pais, Contemporary&, The Van-Magazine, and among others. His work explores the intersections of arts and socio-cultural dynamics, with a focus on South Sudanese narratives in the global conversations.
Find him on Instagram @pedro_butros, X (formerly Twitter) @ButrosNicola, or LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/butros-nicola-bazia; linktr.ee/butrosnicola.com
Dominica Amet Joseph Marco
Column: The Picture
Dominica is a 26-year-old South Sudanese writer, freelance journalist and feminist/social activist who graduated from the faculty of law from the University of Bahri in 2018. She is one of many who had to flee war in Sudan to finally come and live in her homeland South Sudan. She has written and published articles, stories and poems since 2017. She has worked with and published articles in Aka’bar Alwatan Newspaper in Sudan, Almugif Newspaper in South Sudan, and several other Arabic websites.
Find her on Instagram @dominica.amet or X (formerly Twitter) @AmetJoseph1.
Hatim Eujayl
Columns: Kalam Zaman and Sudan on Cinema (previously Culture Rewind)
Hatim is a Sudanese-American writer involved in various projects to promote Sudanese culture. His most famous works include the Sounds of Sudan YouTube channel, the Geri Fai Omir Kickstarter, and the Sawarda Nubian font. More of his writing can be found on his Substack, ‘My Sudani-American LiFE,’ where he discusses Sudanese literature and cinema.
Find him on Instagram @massintod or by email at [email protected].
Samar Bengawi
Column: Soundtrack of Sudan
Series: New Sounds of Sudan
Samar is a medical student by day, and a literature and music enthusiast by night. She was born and raised in the UAE and is now based in Georgia. She is never without a cup of coffee in hand, and is always “on the go,” chasing after one hobby or another. Passion in Sudanese politics runs in her blood and she considers herself a patriot who hopes to leave a memorable mark in the world.
Find her on Instagram @samarbengawi or X (formerly Twitter) @SamarBengawi.
Frequent writers
Khansa Al Bashier is a Sudanese medical graduate based in the UK. Born in 2000, she earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the School of Medicine at Ahfad University for Women in 2025. She is passionate about writing and storytelling, with a deep interest in Sudanese culture and history, and in the ways they shape the collective identity.
Lamia Abdallah is a medical school graduate figuring out life, one article at a time, one diagnosis later. Lover of books, storytelling, and being a voice for the voiceless.
As he ventures into this brave new world ahead of him, Muathal Hisham tries to reflect on the experiences he encounters through poetry and prose. Born in 2005 in Khartoum, and based in Cairo, Egypt, Muathal is an aspiring bilingual essayist who aims to reinvent the way literature, art and music are interpreted. While he studies medicine at Ain Shams University, Muathal provides a thrilling dive into regional and international cultures, with the hope it might inspire positive change in his community. Find him @muathall on Instagram or visit his blog on Medium at @Muathal. Find him @muathall on Instagram or visit his blog on Medium at @Muathal.
Rawan Alamin loves nothing more than writing. It’s been that way since she was a kid. Reading stories, writing her own, and playing with words to make sense of the world around her. Though she earned a degree in architecture from Sudan University of Science and Technology, her heart never truly left writing. After graduating, she returned to her first passion and built a career around it. Now based in the UAE, Rawan works as a full-time content manager. She is trying to bring a storyteller’s lens to everything she writes.
Tuqa A Hafeez is a 31-year-old architect based in Sudan, currently exploring the world of writing. She is a passionate thinker, creative person, and a film, music and book enthusiast with a huge appetite for knowledge.
Want to write for us? Go to ‘Write for Us‘.
