Global Movement II: Art, Activism and notions of Home

Marja Karelia - Simon Fraser University

Power of the Musical Voice: Searching for a Sense of Agency Through Music at Refugee Camps

Since music represents the world we live in, I was not surprised to find evidence of music in refugee camps around the world, and I will argue that the power of musical voice is a major player in helping refugees to alleviate feelings of helplessness and longing and to search for agency in unpredictable conditions, where their freedom of expression by spoken word is often forbidden. I will discuss the myriad roles music plays in refugees’ lives in developing resilience and in providing at least a temporary “escape” from deplorable circumstances while searching for agency. At Al Za’atari in Jordan, residents are singing songs of longing for homeland, on the Island of Lesbos, refugee children are learning to play the violin, and at Kakuma in Kenya, young refugee rappers perform in a musical talent contest. The power of their musical voices is helping them find that sense of agency.

Mehrangiz Najafizadeh - University of Kansas

The Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Forced Displacement: Azerbaijani IDP Poetry as a Source of Determination and Hope for Returning to their Homelands

The 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan resulted in Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts (twenty percent of all Azerbaijani land). Following the subsequent cease-fire and continuing Armenian occupation, tensions and hostilities began to erupt again in July 2020 and led to a renewed full-scale war between these two countries. The 2020 War, which lasted for six weeks and resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control of Armenian occupied Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions, came to an end on November 10, 2020. My presentation will examine the narratives of Azerbaijani internally displaced women (IDPs) to analyze continuing and emerging complex issues such as new interpretations, changing identities, and future hope and uncertainty as Azerbaijani IDPs confront the issue of whether or not to return to their homelands. Equally significant is the place of poetry within the broader Azerbaijani society and also within IDP communities. Consistent with my qualitative interdisciplinary humanistic methodology, I continue to compile and analyze Azerbaijani IDP works of poetry to develop a deeper understanding and insight into the life experiences of IDPs as they recall thirty years of displacement and express their hopes of returning to their homelands. I use examples of such poetry in this presentation.

Madison Floyd - Georgia State College and University

Friendship and Elif Shafak’s Forty Rules of Love

Friendship is a timeless antidote to worldly hardships. Throughout history’s catastrophic events, people have found comfort— and personal growth— in one another. In Elif Shafak’s novel Forty Rules of Love, the author explores the complex themes of individual and collective struggle, the passage of time, and mortality, and the ways that strong platonic bonds can ease the pain of these afflictions. Shafak portrays this most notably through the bond between a Sufi Dervish called Shams and his friend Rumi, a poet who he enlightens over the course of the book. Despite the differences in culture and time period, the relationship between these characters encapsulates how friendship can facilitate growth even in times of collective struggle. In this paper, I will examine how Shams and Rumi’s bond translates into our current culture and the issues we face as individuals and as a collective society.

Stefanie Sevcik - Georgia State College and University

Gender, Transnational Art, and Activism During the Covid-19 Pandemic

For almost two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated crises across the Global South including disrupting the flow of humanitarian aid into war-torn Syria, worsening police violence in Nigeria, and contributing to shortages in health-care equipment in Gaza. Amidst intersecting crises, some have turned to art to perform or supplement their activism to resist various forms of oppression. In this paper, I will make connections between activism in a range of ongoing global crises by analyzing art made during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, I will focus on work that speaks transnationally to issues of gender including a graffiti artist in Kashmir making art to express solidarity with Palestinians and Palestinian artists making art in support of George Floyd. During this period of extreme isolation and quarantine for many, there are artists who are making connections across borders in the fight for social justice.