Nailing Remembrance
Poetry film by Jutta Pryor of Farkhonda Akbar's poem.
In 2014 Multicultural Arts Victoria commissioned poet Farkhonda Akbar Tufaan and myself for a spoken word track for the “Visible” album series. The track features Vinod Prasanna on flute and Aryan Aman Kalyan on tabla. We performed the piece live at the Melbourne Festival that year. Filmmaker Jutta Pryor created this short poetry film version in 2018.
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“It was midnight in Melbourne when I wrote Nailing Remembrance after feeling a cold fire burning in me. I had just finished reading about the journey of a girl from my valley in Afghanistan in the late 1800s. A princess turned into a slave, she was elegant and in-love, layered and lonely, resilient and secretive. Besides the brutal political context of the time and her painful destiny, this poem is capturing her layers of inner feelings, sense of loss, vibrant and violent moments of the time and the strength in her struggle. Nailing Remembrance is a window into the museum of a forcefully forgotten self.”
Farkhonda Akbar
Hazara poet and cultural activist Farkhonda Akbar writes abstract text writing inspired by her historical wounds and dark experiences as a young Hazara girl. Having completed an undergrad and postgrad in International Relations and undertaking two internships at the UN Headquarters in NY, Farkhonda is dedicated to representing Hazara people worldwide and ensuring peace in her homeland Afghanistan. She is passionate about ensuring the Hazara Diaspora in Melbourne reconnect with culture in their new homelands, running Hazaragi poetry workshops with young people and women in the community. Farkhonda is currently studying for PhD in International Relations and diplomacy.
In June 2018 "Nailing Remembrance" screened at S Y N | Cymatic Environment© by Anna Stereopoulou w/ 20Y female:pressure Anniversary Event @ Beton 7 - Arts, Athens.