In the midst of anti-government protests in Baghdad’s Al Tahrir Square, local poets have turned to their craft as a source of hope.
Now, the poems – written in Arabic – have been translated into English and recited on stage by Regent’s drama students to spread their messages of peace beyond Baghdad.
‘The poems centre around Tahrir Square, which was reclaimed by protestors. They are full of images of conflict but also of solidarity and hope,’ said Regent’s creative writing professor, Catherine Davidson.
‘The poets are young people, so we wanted young people to read the poems in front of an audience, too. That’s why we called on Regent’s students. This is a great example of the transdisciplinary collaboration Regent’s is known for,’ she finished.
Catherine worked with Iraqi poet Dr Anba Jawi to translate the poems into English. Then, five student volunteers read them out on stage at London’s Poetry Café.
Rose Daher, one of the volunteer drama students, said: ‘My father is Lebanese and I have first-hand experience with conflict in the Middle East. I’ve seen young people in Syria, and seen refugees come to my hometown in Lebanon. Even in wartorn situations, our differences aren’t really pronounced. The children play like any other children. I was inspired by that.’
Victor Vreme, another student, said: ‘We can learn from the messages in the poems. They’re devastating but they also talk about people who tried to do the best with what they had. We can learn from that.’
Videos of the Regent’s students reading the poems will be broadcast to the poets living in Tahrir Square.