Farah Chamma evolving through poetry

Farah Chamma is a Palestinian poet, studying law and political science at the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. She began writing poetry at the age of 14 at around the same time she began exploring her personal relationship with her faith. Farah writes poetry in English, Arabic, and French using a variety of lyrical and linguistic styles. Her work can mainly be described as introspective. She is one of the youngest members of Poeticians, a group of poets and writers from the Middle East. She has been engaged in performance poetry and spoken word since 2008 and has participated in many events and competitions including the SIKKA Art Fair and the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. In 2012, she organized and hosted “Sip of Poetry” in Abu Dhabi, a poetry evening featuring various poets from the region. She is currently working on launching a student-led poetry group with the help of award-winning poet and hip-hop artist, Paul D, aiming to encourage spoken word performances in colleges and universities.

How powerful in your opinion is the spoken word?
I think the spoken word is the most powerful way for poetry to spread in our world today. Performed poem spreads much faster than the written one. I also think it’s a powerful art since it combines both literary and theatrical skills, giving more space for creativity.

What got you into poetry?
I started writing at the age of 14, but my “real” experience with poetry began when I first performed in front of an audience with the Dubai-based poetry group the Poeticians- I was around 15. Ever since, I have been engaging in performance poetry.

What inspires Farah Chamma?
What mostly inspires me to write is the audience, which always proves to be supportive and thirsty for more art and performance. Whenever I sit down to write, I think of the individuals that would appreciate with sincerity every word that is to be written.

Your poem “How Must I believe” was circulated all over social media sites, what is the feedback and what inspired you to write it?
The majority of the feedback is very encouraging, however, I received some criticism regarding both the language of the poem and its content. Some found that the Arabic language with which the poem was written is weak, which is understandable as my poem “How Must I Believe?” is one of my first written Arabic pieces (having been educated in an American school and written poetry in English mainly). Others found the poem to be too polemic and the majority misunderstood the poem to be a declaration of atheism, which is not the case at all.

Who are your favorite poets?
Tamim Al Barghouti, Hisham El Gakh, and T.S. Eliot. .

https://twitter.com/FarahChamma

You can also watch her video of the poem “How Must I believe” here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVodbIi798w

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