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Abdul Samad Haidari (عبدالصمد حیدری)
Abdul Samad Haidari: by Lesmina Sari.jpg
Native name	عبدالصمد حیدری
Born	(1986-01-01) 1 January 1986 Ghazni, Afghanistan
Occupation	Poet, journalist, Freelancer, human rights activist
Language	Hazaragi (Native), Dari, Pashto, Urdu/Hindi (Intermediate), Bahasa Indonesia (Intermediate), English
Nationality	Hazara
Education	Ibn Sina University Kabul, Afghanistan
Subject	Mass Communication, Journalism (Interrupted by war)
Notable works	The Red Ribbon, The Unsent Condolences; Not titled yet (Children's Book)
Website
https://abdulsamadhaidari.com/

Abdul Samad Haidari (Dari: عبدالصمد حیدری; born on 01 January 1986) is a Hazara-Afghanistani poet and Journalist and human rights activist, living in Wellington Aotearoa/New Zealand. He opened his eyes in a mud-made castle, in a small village, known as Dahmardah-e-Gulzar. Dahmardah is situated in Arghandab region of Northern Zabul province, Afghanistan. His birth was marked by the conduct of a systematic annihilation, genocide. The perpetrators of this heinous act were none other than the same turbaned colonisers who had long ago unjustly confiscated a substantial portion of his ancestral lands, the lands of the Hazaras who existed in Afghanistan prior to the magnificent Buddhas of Bamiyan whose grandeur adorned the landscape.

About Abdul Samad Haidari's Life

"The red dogs, the wolves’ friends, brought another spell upon Dahmardah, my birthplace, where the blossom of my childhood just met the spring of my life. Their sharp teeth, and claws, have torn the tents of my madrasa, and turned its rooms into warfronts, a mazaar (cemetery) for my sister, Hakima – and the sprout of my childhood wilted under the rubbles of my mud-made castle. I feared them more than God for they didn’t fear God. Those green valleys, bent down, singing birds migrated, and water streams dried up. The shelling sounds of machine guns, replaced the loud morning anthem. The grieving screams of mothers, the morning songs of birds. Life stopped floating, and same village once protected us, commanded to run," the author.

Unsurprisingly, Abdul Samad was not of the first generation to become a refugee. His family experienced this bitter reality for five generations. He was forced to spend a significant amount of his life separated from his parents. The weight of this prolonged separation like an ever-present companion, has undoubtedly left indelible imprints upon his soul.

His more than twenty precious life was stolen across borders as a refugee. This took Haidari 2-5 years to be determined as a refugee–each country he sought asylum. H had gone through RSD interview screenings, which he calls ‘interrogation’, more than four times. In the process, he experienced an extensive amount of dehumanization. At some point, he was made to belief to a colonized idea that he was not as human as others, or had as much right as others, or deserved a fair and just treatment as others. The labels they etched on his forehead, started spreading their roots down into his lungs, heart and mind. He spent 90% of his life separated from his parents and siblings. The amount of pain our human fellow inflicted upon Abdul, is greater than the expansion of the whole universe.

In Iran

As a Hazara child, Abdul Samad witnessed his people entangled in the intricate web of an historical injustice that continued to reverberate through the generations. As the wind of war exploded, it carried Abdul away from his motherland. His father and Abdul then headed their injured heads to Iran, where the grand children of Sadi and Hafiz, held them captive in Shiraz. They made them learn a new, and an unfamiliar term ‘refugee’ – another name for the start of struggle, the end of existence. There, they casted upon them the spells of hatred, racism, discrimination, humiliation, oppression and superiority. "Their tongues had more flames than those of the Taliban. I burned with deeper wounds than ever. The cuts that their words inflicted upon me, never healed, but have joined the sea tides," the author.

Abdul was set free after a negotiation but not his father. "I had to carry my left-overs to Tehran, putting my lungs under my teeth. I had no one with me on the way but the heinous shadow of spells, hovering underneath my chest, upon my parched cheeks, and on my caked hair. I was made to breath them in, breath them out, dine, and rest with them forth. I trod upon the burning palms of this strange soil of Khomeini with no sight of Baba, and my elder brother, Abdul Ahad to behold.

My reward on searching for Baba and my elder brother, Abdul Ahad, was, but the harsh claws of iron hands on the surface of my delicate heart, which was too small to fully contain. I was soon caught by the realms of solitude in the cold rifts of Shahran and Kan valleys. I became a slave in the cracks of construction sites as a child labourer. My fractured bones wrapped inside my thin skin, crushed under the weight of sands, and cements.

I lifted sacks of cement that were taller than my height, and baskets of sand that were heavier than my weight. My tinny, but strong Afghanistani shoulders carried the heaviest weights – weights of separation, racism, oppression, humiliation, and bitter words. My eyes never wept upon my own ruins, but upon the burden of separation from my loved ones, Ammi, Madar Kalan, Baba, and my elder brother, Abdul Ahad. I often stayed awake at night on my brick-made bed because of freezing rain, fear, hunger, and hours of hard labour. I learned that every anguish passes, except the anguish of hunger, and separation.

In Afghanistan

However, his experiences and sharp pen brought him back to the soil of his ancestor, reclaiming a connection to my roots. In 2007, his lifelong passion for journalism came to fruition as he took a leap into a fascinating world, embracing the sweet world of ink and paper. Abdul seized the opportunity to work with two influential media outlets, The Daily Outlook Afghanistan Group of Newspapers and later The Daily Afghanistan Express.

Abdul with his journalist crew in The Daily Outlook Afghanistan and The Daily Afghanistan Express, have exposed some of the forbidden stories in the article one of which was entitled "The Islam of “The Taliban and ISIS”. However, a swarm of manipulated people, and old fashion Islamic circles rushed to the streets, calling it to be a blasphemy – demanding the government to oil their tangled hair with Abdul and his colleagues' red ink. His dedication to jig-saw the rubbles of his beloved homeland back in place through his journalism, soon was dimmed by those, who feared to hear the truth. After publishing this article, the war again Haidari and his colleagues started. The religious circles passed decrease to punish anyone associated with The Daily Afghanistan Express. The pressure on Abdul and his colleagues by politicians, warlords, high government officials and religious leaders escalated. Some of his colleagues managed to escape and some were disappeared. Haidari had no other options left but to run again, beholding the rich fragrance of humanity, awakened through the velveteen jungle of Indonesia– thinking a forest of green breast is better than a crane hanging in the sky.

In Indonesia

The latest chapter of his life involves spending a decade in Indonesia, during which a significant portion of his youthful years was spent waiting for resettlement in a third country under the UNHCR refugee quota program. It took UNHCR (United Nations Hight Commissioners for Refugees) 2.5 years to determine Abdul as a refugee from the day he sought asylum. on 06 July 2026, Abdul was determined as a refugee (a protected person of concern to UNHCR Indonesia). The injury in his thigh was still fresh as a result of an attack that he experienced in Afghanistan due to his journalism.

In Indonesia, Abdul's thoughts got scattered, and he lost the ability to concentrate. He became a stranger to his sharp pen, and was pushed into the chocking reefs of valleys with his hands and feet chained, tongue stolen, and voice shut for the second time. He had to swallow back his intact groans whenever they reached the roof of his tongue. They tattooed the refugee banner on his forehead, and dumped him in the dark rift of a cage, to call it home. His heart that longed to breath the fresh and free air, was shattered under the similar feet. Feelings of vulnerability, oppression, and desperation grew in him rapidly – just like the mosses that grew thick on the moist cheeks of concrete pavements. Heavy layers of fog hazed his visions, and his cracked skeleton, too weak to sit with his friends, and those who cared about him. "It felt like the moist walls of my room, were squeezing me from all corners. "The so-called Iranians shut the sky on me from above and stripped the earth from beneath my feet. The border wars raged on and I remained caught in their merciless grip. But amidst the darkness, a flicker of light emerged from within me—the firm determination to reclaim my dignity, challenge the circumstances that sought to define me," the author.

The Red Ribbon

In June 2019, The Red Ribbon; a collection poetry book, crafted and edited by Dr Ross Dunn, was published in Indonesia by Gramedia. Abdul Samad's journey into poetry began as an act of resilience and resistance, sparked by his experience as a refugee confronted by the injustice and colonization of his homeland and identity. In the face of adversity, his words became a life-giving force, giving liberty to the enduring spirit of those who refuse to be silenced. Remarkably, he etched his name into the annals of history as the first refugee in Indonesia to break the cycle of silence and publish his own book. In doing so, he transcended the boundaries of his own personal struggle, becoming a beacon of hope and inspiration for others who have faced similar hardships. His main objective was to remind his other fellow refugees the transformative power of literature and the indomitable human spirit.

The Red Ribbon saw publication even in the face of a stark reality: the author, Abdul Samad Haidari, lacked the conventional privilege of signing a contract due to his status, as a refugee. Indeed, the challenges Abdul encountered during the publication of The Red Ribbon, extended beyond contractual limitations. He grappled with the relentless grip of systematic political pressure and the exploitation of his fundamental rights.

As a result, his initial literary work into the world of poetry, bore the scars of a profound ordeal. It was subjected to a relentless process of censorship and alteration, akin to a surgical butchery, an attempt to shut his voice, and censor the horrible situation, the refugees were made to endure in closed incarceration camps.

This poignant chapter in literary history, illuminates the intersection of power and expression–wherein Haidari's inaugural poetry collection became a canvas upon which the forces of censorship attempted to obscure the harrowing plight of refugees confined within the walls of closed incarceration camps. In this narrative, the written word transcends its traditional boundaries, evolving into a vessel for not only artistic expression but also a profound exploration of the philosophical underpinnings of human rights, freedom, and the enduring power of literature to bear witness to the darkest corners of our world.

"The Red Ribbon" emerged as the embodiment of my unwavering resistance, even as a multitude of political hands conspired to bury it beneath the weight of silence. I pushed my pen deeper, crafted more poems, exposing how they murdered my first book–in an attempt to shut me off. I consumed my own blood, but spoke words, and sang poetry for survival to break their spells. Each stroke of my pen etched upon the paper felt like sparks igniting flames of hell upon me, the weight of pain and torment pressing down upon me like thorns driven by the edges of axes into my very soul.Yet, that was one of the finest moments to let a bit of my grief melt away. My pen, and paper were not just the gardens of poems, but also cameras lenses, capturing the dark moments of history, where people were forcing the moon not to rise, the spring not to come, the darkness to grow thicker, and the dawn not to break," the author.

Abdul Samad's literary contributions have not gone unnoticed, as his works have found a home in esteemed literary journals. His talent has transcended borders, as evidenced by invitations to prestigious events such as the Ubud Readers & Writers Festival and TEDx, where he shared his insights and experiences. His captivating words have graced academic institutions like the University of Indonesia, Museum Fulkwang, Jakarta Intercultural School, and Michigan University, leaving a lasting impact on diverse audiences. Haidari's literary journey has also been documented by international media outlets, including NKH World-Japan, ArabNews, and various local Indonesian publications.

Refugee Documentary

Abdul collaborated with Denis Bosnic, Sarajevo-born photographer based in Australia on two documentaries on refugees in Indonesia as an interpreter and translator for the sub-titles of the documentary, Open Minds - Short World Refugee Day Film for JRS (Jun 21, 2016). Denis works on long-term photographic projects and short-form video documentaries. Denis describes that perceptions about refugees often revolve around moments of profound distress and desperation. The poignant images in newspapers or the distressing scenes of overcrowded boats on television portray only a fraction of their narrative. The existence of refugees transcends mere symbols of hardship and suffering; they are individuals with aspirations and dreams for the future. They carry with them cherished childhood memories and have been thrust into seemingly insurmountable circumstances. Here, they share their own voices, providing insight into their genuine lives, opportunities, and hopes.

Essay: Letter from Jakarta

Abdul's advocacy continued in Indonesia despite the limitation resources and political and social pressure on him due to his refugee status. The essay: "Letter from Jakarta" is one of his articles on his experiences and observations as a stateless refugee living in Indonesia. Abdul effectively conveys the plight of refugees who are struggling for their rights, dignity, and a chance to build a better future.

The essay begins by painting a vivid picture of refugees gathered outside the UNHCR building in Jakarta, desperately seeking freedom, transparency in resettlement processes, and fair humanitarian assistance. The author highlights the diverse backgrounds and stories of these refugees, emphasizing their common plea for fairness, dignity, and the basic necessities of life.

The Unsent Condolences (Scheduled for release - December 2023)

His literary journey continues with the eagerly anticipated release of his second book, The Unsent Condolences, scheduled for launch by the end of November 2023. This upcoming work promises to be another poignant addition to his already remarkable body of work.

"The rhymes are crafted out of rigid threads with chains of iron round my wrist, and swords of tyranny upon my tongue. I must admit that it was not easy to compose the gasps of my sister into rhymes, my brother’s dimming groans into verses, Ammi, Baba, and my siblings’ lost helpless looks into stanzas. It was as painful as if I was rubbing chilli and salt into my wounds. The amount of tears I poured, would wipe you away,'' the author.

Abdul Samad’s poetry reaches new heights, going beyond his Hazara identity and statelessness. The poems embody the collective human struggle and the indomitable spirit his tribe has carried for generations against discrimination and genocide. His sharp pen crafts verses that reflect the ever-shifting landscape of truth, casting light into the shadows of events to reveal the hidden threads that weave our world’s narrative.

"Abdul Samad introduces a unique perspective on politics, colonialism, humanity, life and identity. His words carry the weight of profound grief, mourning altitudes of tragedy and displacement. Yet, this does not mean he writes as a victim but rather, as an unbeatable advocate. What holds significant importance is his ability to intertwine these multifaceted layers within his literary work, displaying firm resistance for his unshakable convictions.

What resonates with me the most in his poetry is not just how he employs words to challenge a system designed to oppress, strip away his identity and dignity; it's how he creates beauty within the context of tragedy, symbolising strength and inspiring empowerment for resistance," describes Behrouz Boochani.

"The cries of pain in this book will sear your heart and conscience. You may sometimes not be able to keep reading Abdul Haidari’s poems. His collection offers little place of rest from its unrelenting, sometimes despairing, efforts to make its readers understand the meaning of the pain it depicts," describes Raimond Gaita.

"I carry the whole universe in me. My statue standing before you, is the symbol of resistance, patience and hope. My work was and is to resist against the ruthless group of people in power, sought to inflict pain and miseries upon me four generations before me. They used their power and authority through racism, barbarism, discrimination and violence – all of which aimed to maintain oppression and control over my spirit. I wrote to break free and reveal the darkness that lays within them.

My pained soul is scripted into every line and stanza. The rhymes are crafted out of rigid threads with chains of iron round my wrist and swords of tyranny upon my tongue. I must admit that it was not easy to compose the gasps of my sister into rhymes, my brother’s dimming groans into verses, Ammi, Baba and my siblings’ lost helpless looks into stanzas. It was as painful as if I was rubbing chili and salt into my wounds. The amount of tears I poured, would wipe you away." I am joy. I am pain. I am love," The Unsent Condolences.

List of contributions/works

Documentary

1. Open Minds - Short World Refugee Day Film for JRS. Jun 21, 2016 (Documentary)

Books/Narrative works

1. The Unsent Condolences. December 2023.
2. The Red Ribbon. 23 Jun 2019.
3. Essay: Letter from Jakarta. September 29, 2019.

Poetry

1. THREE POEMS. AUGUST 18, 2022. (PERIL)
2. Home Rides in Backpack. November 2021. (Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration)

Membership

Haidari is a lead member of Writing Through Fences, PEN NZ/NZSA, FCCANZ (Foreign Correspondents' Club Aotearoa New Zealand), and JFCC (Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club).