‘You’re on your own baby’: Sudanese women bridging conflict,journalism,j’activism,and media (in)visibility

Abstract

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has been largely obscured by limited global media coverage that undermines the visibility of violence and displacement felt most severely by women and children. To amplify the voices of victims of the Sudanese conflict, the authors explore the lived experiences of 10 women journalists and activists, whom they named ‘j’activists’, through in-depth interviews and analyses of their stories. Specifically, they examined their challenges covering the conflict, how their intersecting identities as Sudanese women activists shape those challenges, and the coping strategies they employ. Amid the conflict, Sudanese women j’activists have endured personal loss, threats of violence, ethnic marginalization, gender discrimination, and lack of access to information and displaced people. Altogether, these experiences have shaped their resolve and empathy in navigating conflict coverage, even as they center social media to continually highlight the plight of victims and find solace within their community to cope with the conflict. This article investigates the role of Sudanese women journalists and activists – termed ‘j’activists’ – in documenting and amplifying the humanitarian crisis resulting from Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which remains largely invisible in global media. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 10 participants, the study examines how intersecting identities, including gender, ethnicity, and professional affiliation, shape their experiences and reporting practices. Participants face acute challenges, including safety threats, censorship, emotional trauma, and restricted access to information, while navigating a global media landscape skewed by geopolitical biases. Despite these obstacles, they employ resilience strategies and leverage digital platforms to bypass traditional media barriers and amplify marginalized voices. Their work blurs the line between journalism and activism, challenging conventional notions of objectivity and underscoring the inadequacies of western media representations of African conflicts. While traditional journalism remains vital, the study argues for creating space for j’activists whose hybrid practices become necessary when global media neglect persists. By foregrounding the lived realities of women and children, these j’activists offer a more nuanced, human-centered narrative, pointing to the urgent need for more inclusive and contextually sensitive approaches to conflict reporting.