Amir Ahmad Nasr

Described by The Economist as “puckish” and by WIRED as a “formidable speaker,” Amir Ahmad Nasr, also known by his stage name DRIMA, is a Sudanese-born Canadian author, storyteller, producer, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and Director of business storytelling consultancy Assertive & Co.

He is the founding member of the artist collective A Tribe Called Story and the host of its podcast series on the power of storytelling and the storytelling of power.

Prior to returning to his artistic roots, Amir had been more widely-known for his work as a citizen journalist and digital activist. In 2014, his critically acclaimed and banned memoir My Isl@m – which recounts his origin story from reluctant fundamentalist to survivor of religious abuse and indoctrination, and ultimately to freedom – forced him to seek political asylum in Canada where he found renewed purpose as an artist and entrepreneur.

He is currently at work on a theatrical concert show and play slated for release in late 2018. His musical and literary work draws from a variety of inspirations including neo soul, spoken word, rap-rock, Japanese sci-fi manga, and the political memoirs and essays of Sufi mystics and American revolutionaries.

Amir has shared the stage with former presidents, Nobel Peace Laureates, and celebrated change-makers, and has spoken in front of audiences of up to a thousand at YPO, Afest, Freedom House, Cato Institute, the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Global Peace Convention, the MIT Center for Civic Media, and the International Literature Festival Berlin, among dozens of other venues.

He is an alumni of award-winning EdTech company Mindvalley, an advisor and strategist at management consultancy Living Blueprint, and a member of the International Council at the Human Rights Foundation where he serves on the committee for The Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

His work in human rights advocacy has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg, France24, WNYC, BBC, CBC, and dozens of media outlets in over 13 languages across the globe.

A Sudanese Nubian-Arab by birth and proud heritage, a Qatari and Malaysian by migration, and a Canadian by choice and initiation, Vancouver is the city he calls home and his global HQ.