Sudanese writer and public health researcher Reem Gaafar was recently featured as a guest on the Radical Futures podcast, hosted by Bhakti Shringapure, for an in-depth conversation on her acclaimed debut novel A Mouth Full of Salt, the persistence of anti-Blackness in Sudan, and the personal journey that led her to writing.

Radical Futures, described as “an invitation to imagine freedom, decolonization and liberatory futures,” provides a platform for critical and creative conversations about resistance, justice, and the possibility of more equitable worlds. Shringapure, a writer, editor, and academic, is the Creative Director of the Radical Books Collective, founder of founding editor of the online magazine Warscapes, and Associate Professor of English and Gender Studies at the University of Connecticut.

In the episode, Gaafar delves into the themes of A Mouth Full of Salt, a novel set in a Sudanese village where the drowning of a young boy in the Nile triggers a reckoning with racism and history. Narrated through a choral voice, the novel uses allegory and layered storytelling to trace the generational trauma and systemic oppression experienced by Black Southerners in Sudan. Gaafar notes that despite the 2011 secession of South Sudan, “there is the undertone of racism” that still lingers in Sudanese society.

The novel spans four decades—from the 1940s to the 1980s—and centers on the intertwined lives of three women: Fatima and Sulafa, who are Arab and from the North, and Nyamakeem, who is Black and from the South. Their experiences reveal deep-seated cultural and racial divisions and offer a powerful meditation on memory, belonging, and accountability.

During the podcast, Gaafar spoke about the long road to publication. Although writing has been her passion since childhood, she initially trained as an emergency medicine doctor under family pressure. Eventually, she transitioned into public health research, which allowed her the time to revisit her creative work. She began seriously working on A Mouth Full of Salt while living in Sudan during medical school—her first prolonged stay in the country. “I started writing more during medical school because that was the first time I had lived in Sudan,” she shared.

The manuscript won the Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa in 2023, earning Gaafar editorial support and recognition. The novel was later published by Saqi Books (UK), and Gaafar now joins a growing cohort of Sudanese writers—including Leila Aboulela, Safia Elhillo, and Fatin Abbas—writing in English and expanding the literary landscape of the region.

On the podcast, Gaafar also reflected on the ongoing war in Sudan, the emotional impact of publishing a novel about national trauma just as fresh violence erupted in April 2023, and the challenges of balancing writing with her career in health. She offered insight into the novel’s characters and structure, and hinted at her next book, which will again center women across generations.

The episode is a compelling listen for those interested in African literature, postcolonial narratives, and the intersections of race, history, and storytelling.

To hear the full conversation, you can find the episode on the Radical Books Collective platform, YouTube (below), and wherever you listen to podcasts.