By Levi Wright
Wednesday night in Shambaugh Auditorium, Remi Kanazi, a political poet, writer, and organizer, gave a spoken-word performance on the problems Palestinians face, followed by a Q&A.
“Poetry is a way of apprehending the world — it awakens us to different possibilities,” said Christopher Merrill, the director of the International Writing Program.
The Arab Student Association hosted the Kanazi event as a way to bring cultural awareness to Iowa City. The group provides a place to showcase Arab culture with events such as Arabian Nights.“[Iowa City] is a very conservative climate; sometimes, you feel like you’re too scared to talk or you’re going to get silenced,” said Sara Lettieri, the vice president of the Arab Student Association. The organization helps Arab students who feel as if they are alone and gives them a community that supports and validates them.
Kanazi’s poems target global audiences to bring about change. Poems such as “Normalize This” easily fits in the culture of Iowa City. Kanazi’s work talks about people who don’t take a side and by doing so, end up being complicit with the structures of oppression. The poem mirrors what happened to one student, Lettieri, as an undergrad.
“I raised my hand and talked about the DJ Snake video ‘Get Low,’ in which he is dressed as an Arab and dancing with his friends. Diplo was in it, too; they were dressed in complete Arab attire, dancing around to the song, and that’s not outwardly harmful, it’s just insensitive,” she said. “The TA said it made a lot of sense. The next person to talk said, ‘They always say imitation is the highest form of flattery,’ and the TA says, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’ How can you say I’m right and she’s right, if we have conflicting points and not challenge something that’s pretty harmful.”
Lettieri pointed out this demonstrates the need for more understanding and discussion.
“[Remi Kanazi’s] words are very strong,” she said. “His spoken word is emotional and raw. If people go there, it will stimulate conversations that need to be had.”
Just reading his work gives a sense of the passion that Kanazi has for the problems that Palestinian people face, not just in Palestine but all over the world.
His fervor increases when he performs his poems — each line delivering clear, spoken intensity as he traverses seamlessly through current political issues.
“A really great poem makes you see the world with new eyes,” Merrill said. “You feel as if the world is new once again, and you recognize relationships that you didn’t recognize before. Some part of your imagination is awakened that hasn’t before.”
