Welcome to Issue 1
Featuring poetry by Kodi Arnu, Louise “Light” Mwangaza, and Milad Yousufi—essays by Hirwa Esperance, Raida Farzat, Claude Kaberuka, Mary Nyaluak, and Homaira Zamiri—videos by Thay Poe Mu—artwork by Abdulatif Aljeemo and Donay Habbak
Behrouz Boochani: In Conversation
An exclusive interview with the acclaimed Kurdish-Iranian activist, journalist and film producer on craft, collaboration and his Victorian Prize-winning book, “No Friend But the Mountain”.
Love in the Rohingya Camps
Photographer Salim Ullah Armany meditates on the ties that bind in this powerful visual essay.
The Smiling Barber
For millions of people across the world, getting the haircut they desire – like the ability to go outside, move around freely, or live wherever they want – is simple.
Bleeding Without Hurt
“I didn’t know how to accept your unwelcome visit, all alone in my little dark room.” A poem on the joys and stigmas of womanhood by Sudi Omar Noor.
Poem in Urdu and English
A parallel text in Urdu and English by Pakistan-born poet Shamshad Chaudhry.
Iraq to Australia: In Search of a Safe Place
“It was as though my brain and my heart were no longer connected.” A life’s journey from Syria to Australia.
Two Paintings
Designer and textile artist Basma Sumbal welcomes us into the garden of her imagination.
Darn of the Embassy
Do you love me, my documentation? What can you do for me? You are just a piece of paper, and I your worst nightmare.
Letter to Taliban
“What is the difference between us? Your beard, your power, my intelligence, my emotion?” Raha Azadi asks on behalf of future generations of girls.
The Power of Art Amidst Tragedy
I don’t know the exact day it started, but I do know that somewhere along its journey there were Syrian hands making Ancient Roman pottery, an architect designing Palmyra’s great arches and columns, a sculptor shaping young Syrian men and women with curly hair.
Art by Donay Habbak
“Who will bury us if we die? Naked, there’s neither a horizon nor a grave that covers us.” Moments of life and loss in Damascus, as illustrated by Donay Habbak.
Photography in the Highlands
People seemed to stop whatever it was they were doing. I heard somebody whisper, “He is coming!” as a hush fell over the market.
I asked my mother who it was. “The cameraman,” she whispered back.
