Journalist & Writer
Isma'il
Kushkush
An award-winning Sudanese-American journalist and writer telling the political, cultural and human stories of Africa, the Middle East and beyond — from Khartoum to Nairobi to New York.
About
Reporting the stories the world overlooks.
Isma'il Kushkush is a journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Nation, Smithsonian, Granta, Guernica, The New York Review of Books, CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters, Voice of America, Al Jazeera English and Nieman Reports.
Based in Khartoum, Sudan, for eight years, he covered political, economic, social and cultural stories across Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Sweden, Israel, the Palestinian territories and the United States. In 2014 and again in 2015 he served as acting bureau chief for The New York Times in East Africa, based in Nairobi.
He holds a B.A. in History and International Relations from UC Davis, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East, and an M.A. in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School, with a focus on politics and global affairs.
Beats
- Conflict & politics
- Migration
- History & archaeology
- Race & Identity
- The Nile & the Horn of Africa
Selected Work
A portfolio of reporting & essays.
Feature essays, long-form reporting and cultural writing. Filter by theme, or open any piece to read it at the original publication.
More bylines across the archive:
Honors
Fellowships & recognition.
Speaking & Appearances
On stage & on the record.
Isma'il speaks and appears in conversation on Sudan, press freedom, migration and the craft of reporting from conflict zones.
Contact
Let's work together.
For commissions, interviews, speaking invitations and reprint requests, get in touch.