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Jalal Mahamede is poet, artist and Arab Ahwazi refugee who was imprisoned for 9 years, including 6 years on Nauru, by the Australian government, for arriving by boat and seeking protection. He was freed Dec 2021. He draws from his personal experience to express his moods, feelings and visions through art and language, influenced by his late father Kazem Mahamede, a renowned traveling poet and photographer. "The work endures as an act of solidarity; evidence that creative possibilities can be endless, even when trapped and in despair"
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Beautiful and sobering" DOOBEDOOBEDOO, New York "As well as the sheer sufffering suffusing the poetry and art, a narrative of hope emerges....sombrely beautiful." SONGLINES, UK |
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"The result is a very fine album showcasing the poet’s enormous skill at his art, complemented by outstanding musicians whose work melds into the spoken words to create a unified whole."
THE MUSIC TRUST
"Heart breaking yet stunning poetry and artwork"
VERITY LA ARTS MAGAZINE
"Born out of harsh conditions comes beautiful evocative poetry and art"
SENSE MUSIC MEDIA
VERITY LA ARTS MAGAZINE
"Born out of harsh conditions comes beautiful evocative poetry and art"
SENSE MUSIC MEDIA
An album collaboration made via zoom of his spoken poetry set to music of Australian Art Music Finalist Keyna Wilkins with 19 special guest musicians, Set Me Free, was launched in November 2021 to sold out crowds at the popular Sydney venue Lazybones and at West End Church venue to Brisbane and is available on all streaming platforms. He was released 2 weeks after the album launch. A book of his illustrated poetry My Tears Will Calm The Sun will soon to be published by Tangerine Books with a Foreword by arts journalist and Walkley Award winner, John Shand. He has been featured on ABC Radio National, Sydney Morning Herald, Verity La arts journal, Limelight Magazine, Resonate Magazine, Sense Music Media, Sounds Like Sydney, Blue Mountains Radio, New Zealand Bent Ear Spoken Poetry magazine, Blue Pepper Poetry, Living Composer Podcast, Paradigm Shift Radio, Skid Row Radio, Eastside Radio and Sydney Today.
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*THIS WEBSITE HAS BEEN SET UP BY A FRIEND AND FAN OF JALAL'S*
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In 2021, Jalal was released from detention in Australia after being held for 9 years. This has included 6 years on Nauru and 7 months on Christmas Island and currently a Brisbane detention centre. He arrived by boat in 2013 seeking protection from Australia. Doctors Without Borders described conditions in Nauru refugee camps as "beyond desperate", UNHCR described it as "some of the worst conditions seen" and Amnesty International describes them as "cruel and extreme". During his long-term confinement, in often horrific conditions, Jalal has experienced serious mental health issues, as well as suffering a vicious attack on Nauru. He is a refugee from the region of Ahwaz, which has significantly diminished in recent times due to land seizures by the Iranian government. Ahwaz people are a persecuted minority and continue to be subjected to many forms of discrimination During his immensely painful, long-term incarceration, Jalal has nevertheless managed to create this series of breathtakingly haunting, evocative, sorrowful, yet beautiful words and drawings inspired by his detention experience. His work reveals the depths of his heart and mind, and his vision of humanity. |
DROP OF RAIN I'm a drop of rain, I am a stranger in this desert, I wander and wonder, looking for the river, You held me in your beautiful hands, You did not allow this drop to fall to the thirsty ground. You will leave me in the river, You will save me from the desert. |