Adam Henawy grew up in a cluster of huts surrounded by walls of straw in western Sudan. He is a member of the Zaghawa tribe. His family farmed sorghum, a grass that produces a grain used in sorghum molasses, and raised animals to sell. As a child growing up in a remote village, Henawy would draw pictures of his surroundings, including camels, donkeys, sheep and trees, and play games by moonlight, including a version of hide-and-seek that involved throwing bones into tall grass. His school day included math, geography, Arabic and the history of Islam.
