Abduol’s Story, Greece
Photos by Lida Touloumakou/2014.
Dancing with… memories
“Until I was 20, I didn’t even know what dance was. Back in Afghanistan, where I was born, and later in Iran, where I was forced to flee because of the Taliban, there was no time nor wish for anything else than work, very hard work … I started working in construction sites in Iran when I was ten years old. I had to help my father and my three younger siblings, who had stayed in Afghanistan. We had lost my mother and one of my sisters during a Taliban raid against our village in Ghazni. Our house was completely destroyed and both my mother and sister were buried under the ruins. That same day they also attacked my school. Thirteen of my classmates were killed, all of them young children of 7-9 years old. I was among the lucky ones who survived…
I lived in Iran for eight years, but the situation was very difficult there for all Afghans. So, with the money I had saved, I decided to come to Greece… Yunan…. Since I was a little child, I admired Greece for its history, its culture, its language. My father, who enjoyed reading a lot, was often talking to me with great respect about Greece and he was always telling me how much the rest of the world owes to Greece – even though he was a just a farmer who had never travelled away from his land.
My first contact with dancing came in late 2009, in Athens. I met some people who participated in dance groups and I attended some of their gatherings when I realized that I really liked what I was watching. Eventually I said to myself ‘This is something I can do too’. And just like that, I started dancing.
Nobody ever showed me how I should do it. I dance… in an improvisational way! I let my feelings and thoughts guide me. What I cannot express in words, I express with my body. I just close my eyes and let myself get immersed in my memories… Everything I’ve ever experienced – war, violence, loneliness, fear, death – are reflected in my movements.
Photos by Lida Touloumakou/2014.
Dancing helped me and still helps me in many ways. Through dancing, I meet people with ‘beauty’ in their soul. We communicate with each other without being concerned about the language we speak, our origin, our color. Dancing for me is joy, strength, my compass in the journey of life.
One of the best experiences I’ve had recently was when I was given the opportunity to participate in a MasterClass of Martha Graham Dance Company in Athens[1] during their European tour in the summer of 2014. Suddenly, I found myself dancing next to the best world dancers, it was a unique experience!
There I learned many things and techniques. Mostly I learned that dancing can give you wings and a way to get what you want, to come one step closer to your dreams … Even if your name is Abduol and you come from Ghazni, Afghanistan … “.
[1]Abdul participated in this MasterClass thanks to cooperation between the FAWCO UN Rep for Refugees & Migration, Martha Graham Dance Company and UNHCR Greece.
* Abduol Nazari is now 25 years old. During the last five years that he has been involved with dancing, he has participated in more than 50 dance and music theater performances, including: Ermira Goro – A Quiet Voice, Michael Klien – Jerusalem / Choreography for Greece, Dance Banoptikon, “If sharks were people”, as well as in many activities of the dance group ELANADISTIKANOUME.
Text by Stella Nanou/2014.
