May 2012

Khalas. Done. As I write these words from Norway, I am currently attending the 2012 Oslo Freedom Forum. It was here, last year, that I finally revealed my identity after five years of anonymous blogging. And it is from here, that I am now writing what will be my final blog post on The Sudanese Thinker, which as of April 14th, is now six years old. Yes, this is it. Khalas. Done. The End of an Era.

For five years, I wrote as “Drima,” my online persona. I learned, I unlearned, I grew, I found my voice, and I found my self. During that time, I received words of encouragement and thanks, and words of hate and intimidation.

For five years, “Drima,” in numerous ways, was a “he,” separate from “me,” and over time, he became more outspoken and assertive. And as that happened, he gradually seeped into my offline reality, and somehow fully fused with me. He is me, and I am him.

That story of transformation is too long to convey in a mere blog post, but it will be available, along with other themes, in the book I’m almost done writing, tentatively entitled Islam: A Love Story – The Making of Digital Activist, to be published by St. Martin’s Press in 2013.

It’s been an amazing ride, and I think it’s fitting for me to write this conclusive post here from the Oslo Freedom Forum.

The fight continues, but moving forward, it will be as an author, storyteller, digital activist, and social entrepreneur. Nonetheless, I’ll always be an activist and blogger at heart. The new chapter has already begun.

With love,

Drima – Amir Ahmad Nasr

Addendum: Over the last few days, I’ve received various messages via numerous channels expressing disappointment at my decision to stop blogging here, but I should have clarified something in my post. I am not going to fully stop blogging. I’ve merely decided to bring The Sudanese Thinker to a close, and more specifically my online persona, Drima. Moving forward, I will still continue to blog, but just not here.

Instead, I’ll be blogging at my soon-to-be launched site, AmirAhmadNasr.com, which will feature all aspects of me. Not just the political activist in me, but the author in me, the amateur philosopher in me, the entrepreneur in me, the full me. Also, moving forward Sudan-related issues will be covered in a portal I have yet to launch called VoicesOfSudan.com, so yes, me ain’t going nowhere. The Sudanese Thinker has been my online home for six years, and it has served its purpose well.

Needless to say, I’ve outgrown it, and so it’s time to move on to the next phase, and that is to be self-expressed as Amir. All of me. So stay tuned, and don’t go anywhere.

Thanks for being such awesome readers all these years and months.

The journey still continues.