Mohamed Al Tayeb Music Video Sheds Light on Sudan's Escalating Humanitarian Crisis

To raise awareness for the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Mohamed Al Tayeb has produced a new single to launch on World Refugee Day - 20th June. The song tells the story of hardship that the Sudanese people face after the worst war and humanitarian crisis in decades has gripped Sudan, displacing 10 million people, collapsing the country’ healthcare system, and plunging millions into hunger. 

Mohamed Al Tayeb, said, “I wanted to bring my experience to life through the powerful medium of music and film. I am thankful that I’m now in Amsterdam, where I can express myself freely through my music, but know that isn’t the case for many around the world. I hope this will give those millions threatened by war and oppressive regimes the power to take some action. My music is also an educator - to help others understand the challenges faced by many people globally who are fleeing their homes.”

For the music video, he collaborated with his close friend; creative producer at Media.Monks Joppe Soons as well as director and Buddy Film Foundation founder Dennis Overeem. Mohamed fled his home in Sudan in 2018 where he faced imprisonment for his expressive music. This week he will launch his new single to speak out on Sudan’s forgotten war.

The music video was recorded in Media.Monks’ Creators Club studio in Amsterdam. On shoot day, a crew of 18 external film professionals - many with refugee backgrounds of their own - came together to capture Mohamed’s story. Media.Monks then picked up the full post-production process pro-bono; from VFX to colour grading, sound design and editing.

“Conceptually, Mohamed wanted to bring together many themes of the experience of being a refugee. From his loneliness and desperation of finding new ground to the difficulties of fitting in with new communities, but also the warm embrace of new people. Building on that, we included a key narrative element throughout the music video; the Sudanese elephant, who themselves have been forced to flee their home country of Sudan as well.” said Joppe Soons, creative producer at Media.Monks.

The music video will premiere on World Refugee Day 2024 at 18.30 during a performance-filled event inside the Creators Club Studio in Amsterdam.