The poet and human rights activist Parwana Amiri happened to be in Prague just as Petr Sobalík had planned a poetry session. Both of them are AWoN practitioners.

Petr Sobalík leads the Doma project, which organises activities to help newcomers meet new friends, learn the language, find jobs, and most importantly, feel at home in the Czech Republic.

A medium for political commentary

Every Thursday afternoon, they meet at the community center, Žižkostel Church, for Czech conversations or to invite a guest.

“We had planned a meeting with the Czech poet Monika Hojná and Ukrainian refugee Michail Aivaz, who also writes poems. When I learned that Parwana was in Prague, it was a special occasion to invite her,” Petr Sobalík says.

Throughout history, art has served as a powerful medium for social and political commentary. From Picasso’s “Guernica” to Banksy’s street art critiquing contemporary social issues, art transcends language and cultural barriers to deliver impactful messages.

Inspiring the concept

“Poetry is a power for me. It is a way of expressing my journey, and sharing poetry has always made me feel free. That was the reason I started writing,” Parwana Amiri shares.

The three poets read their poems and discussed them with each other and the rest of the group.

“For me, it was very interesting because each poet writes from their unique artistic point of view. I was thrilled to learn about the context of their creativity,” says Petr Sobalík.

In return, Parwana Amiri was inspired by the concept:
“It was amazing to get to know people and it really inspired me to start something like this in Kassel.”

by Parwana Amiri

In a dark scary night
As the moon was smiling
In the middle of the sea
We were in distress

My mother was crying
Scared for us all
In that angry rough sea
We were in distress

Time was passing slowly
Seconds were counted
Danger was alerting us
we were in distress

Stars were sparkling
Water was all around
Babies were all crying
We were in distress

Thousands of dreams in the sea
Many courages were put to the test
To reach safety, crossing the sea
We were in distress

Some holes in our rubber dinghy
Let the water in slowly
We took both our shoes off
We were in distress

We searched for something
Nothing around to
Throw the water out of the dinghy
We were in distress

Our hearts were pulsing hard
Our eyes were getting wet
We were sinking
We were in distress

The final moments were upon us
We reached the shore
Exhausted, alone, distressed
We reached Europe