The young Sudanese Alaa Salah is considered the icon of the anti-government protest in Sudan that led to the fall of President Omar el-Bechir on Thursday, April 11, 2019.
A photo of Alaa Salah went around the world, thanks to the social networks: one sees it dressed in white, standing on a car, haranguing the crowd in front of the headquarters of the army. This image helped to make her one of the icons of protest in Sudan.
In a video turned viral on the internet, she calls to fight against the power of President Omar el-Bashir. Her figure and her attire earned her the nickname “Kandaka” – “the Nubian queen” – in reference to the sovereigns who marked the history of the region in antiquity.
Alaa Salah is a student in Architecture and Engineering at Khartoum International University. According to her, the history of her country is marked by influential queens: “It’s part of our heritage.”
She explains on her Twitter account that she got on the car to talk to the people, to condemn racism and tribalism in all their forms.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The fight for a democratic and prosperous Sudan continues. We will not bow to Bashir, the tyrant dictator, “writes Alaa Salah in a widely shared message. The death threats she claims to receive have no deterrent effect on her: “I will not bow. My voice can not be suppressed, “wrote the young woman.
Recall that the protesters initially rallied against the government’s decision to triple the price of bread, before calling for the departure of President Omar al-Bashir.
