Source: Qantara.de
Youssef Adlah and Younes Al-Amayra initiated the first Poetry Slam for Muslims in Germany. In it, respect for religion must be maintained – no matter what the theme. In this interview, the initiators talk about how their Muslim poetry slam can empower the Muslim community
Youssef Adlah, Younes Al-Amayra, poetry slam was invented in the mid-1980s in the United States. In 2011 you staged the first Muslim poetry contest. Why?
Younes Al-Amayra: Youssef appeared at a slam in Kreuzberg; he recited a satirical text about Germany’s majority society. The audience had fun, the message came across, and Youssef made second place. For us it was a realization: you can make any criticism you like; it’s all a question of how it’s packaged. We asked ourselves why so few Muslims make use of this platform and had the idea that it was probably the concept: most slams are held in bars and religious texts tend to be sneered at.
Categories: Germany, Intra-Religious Tolerance, Youth