Q&A with guest artist Ahmed Moneka about his journey and poetry.
Guest artist Ahmed Moneka joins Tafelmusik musicians for Haus Musik: Strangers in Strange Lands at Burdock Music Hall on April 11. We chatted with Ahmed to learn more about his journey to Toronto, and his poetry you'll hear in this concert.
Haus Musik: How did you come to be involved in this Haus Musik concert?
Ahmed Moneka: Maryem Tollar, who I met a few years back as we were teaching music for refugee kids, thought about my story and shared my contact with Haus Musik when she heard about Strangers in Strange Lands.
HM: Tell us a bit about your journey to Toronto — where are you from originally and how did you come to live here?
AM: I came to Toronto from Baghdad in 2015. As the lead actor, I was invited to present a film at TIFF. This film was the first Iraqi film talking about homosexual rights. I was forced to stay here as I received threats from the Iraqi militia. I then became a refugee and I am now a permanent resident of Canada. I am grateful to be able to pursue my career as an artist and share the culture I inherited from my home town, Baghdad.
HM: What are some of the major influences on your artistic work?
AM: My role as an artist had a big shift since I came to Toronto. Back in Iraq, as artists, we were trying to light up the darkness and help people navigate, invite them to be together, be more open, in peace. In Toronto, I feel like I am here to share love and add some flavour to the already very diverse artistic scene.
My first passion was theatre, I studied 9 year in Baghdad. When I arrived to Toronto, music naturally presented itself to me, it helped me to deliver my ideas and story through melody and harmony. Music is truly the universal language.
HM: Tell us a bit about the poetry you’ll be sharing with the audience at Haus Musik. How does it tie in with the theme of Strangers in Strange Lands?
AM: Each new environment has an impact on me and also the old one. Between the memories and the future there is something important, the present.
The poetry is talking about the pursuit of your life, on the bridge between the old and the new city. It is about the idea of immigration, leaving your home, your past, your story, and go to the unknown, the future to continue and start a new beginning. The poems talk about love, hope, desire, passion and forgiveness.
HM: Your band, Moskitto Bar sounds like an awesome, multicultural band – how did the group come together?
AM: At the beginning of my journey here in Toronto, I was literally looking for eye contacts. One day, in a park, I met with Tangi Ropars and we started jamming, it was magical. Then he introduced me to the music scene. Tangi, philanthropist and accordion player from France at the same time met with Yura, also new comer from Ukraine. We started playing together and created Moskitto Bar, in 2016, a band made in Toronto a mix of Ukrainian, Iraqi and French music. After 3 years of collaboration, we are releasing our debute album this spring.
