Mazhar, Ramin

Mazhar, Ramin (c) Philippe Aufort

Ramin Mazhar, born 1995 in Bamyan, Afghanistan, lives in Paris. The poet and journalist, who writes in Farsi, is considered an icon of Afghanistan’s younger generation. He disseminates his poetry mainly via digital channels (Telegram, Instagram and Youtube) and at public readings. Since the Taliban took power again in 2021, he has been censored in his home country; Mazhard himself went into exile in France. Many of his poems have been set to music by Afghan musicians and composers such as Masoud Hassanzadeh and Ghawgha Taban. In his emphatic poetry, he speaks about the wounds of war, gives a voice to the victims and shows solidarity with the women in Kabul protesting against the new rulers.

Festival Content

WRITING VIOLENCE

Kleines Parkett 8/6 € | Tickets

 

With Kemi Alabi, Yevgeniy Breyger, Kholoud Charaf, Athena Farrokhzad, Madara Gruntmane, Ramin Mazhar and Ganna Gryniva (music), moderated by Bohdan Tokarskyi

Violence can be silent – but it can also develop its own language. How might we counter violence with another language, one that does not further stigmatize its victims or – in the worst case – re-traumatize them? This evening’s poets will contend with different forms of violence: authoritarian regimes, censorship, war and civil war, forced migration, flight, and expulsion – but also everyday violence, racist police profiling, violence against LGTBQIA* people, femicides, or sexualized violence within the family or community. Poetry can both document and remember violence, but can also initiate therapeutic processes, extending the opportunity for solidarity and healing.

 

Alabi, Kemi • Breyger, Yevgeniy • Charaf, Kholoud • Farrokhzad, Athena • Gruntmane, Madara • Mazhar, Ramin • Gryniva, Ganna