The award-winning Auburn poet of ‘The Lost Arabs’ has produced a compelling tale which illuminates the bonds that bind families together as well as what can break them.
An estranged father. An abused and abusive mother. An army of relatives. A tapestry of violence, woven across generations and geographies, from Turkey to Lebanon to Western Sydney. This is the legacy left to Jamal Smith, a young queer Muslim trying to escape a past in which memory and rumour trace ugly shapes in the dark.
In this extraordinary work – to be launched on Wednesday, March 23, from 7pm – Omar deftly weaves a multifaceted tale brimming with angels and djinn, racist kangaroos and adoring bats, examining with a poet’s eye the destructive impetus of repressed desire and the complexities that make us human.
Debuting in 2019, Dandana – meaning ‘to jam or to strum’ – comprises artistic director and vocalist Maissa Alameddine and renowned musicians, Maestro Mohammed Lelo, Hussein Kahil, Fethi Rabhi, Waleed Barghouti, Hassan Izeldin, Yacine Rabhi and Mustafa Tayar.
Hussein said Dandana members had a good brief from Omar and read the book before selecting songs for the evening based on the journey that the story reveals, from the Arabic classics to Arabic pop music.
“Our songs will paint a picture to the audience about the story and the cultural side of the book, creating the atmosphere for an exciting lounge discussion between the writer and guests,” Hussein said.
Bookings: eventbrite.com.au.
On song for book debut
BRINGING the stunning musical heritage of the Middle East to life, Arab Theatre Studio’s Ensemble Dandana will help set the scene when Arab Australian poet Omar Sakr launches his first book, ‘Son of Sin’, at Auburn Town Hall next week.