The Greek Centre’s Annual John Berger lecture was full subscribed – Melburnians flocked to see this year’s guest speakers, writer Behrouz Boochani and photographer Hoda Afshar. The annual lecture celebrates the writing, philosophy, and work of English art critic John Berger.
The the last time the Geek Centre hosted Boochani, he was still a detainee in one of Australia’s appalling offshore migrant detention centres. Boochani spent six years in Australia’s offshore detention centre on the Pacific island of Manus, before being accepted as a refugee in New Zealand.
Seeing Boochani in person at an event in Australia was a significant occasion for all. It was only three years ago that the then minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton, now leader of the federal opposition, said that Boochani would “never set foot on Australian soil”.
GCM Vice-President, Dr Jim Bossinakis, who welcomed everyone said that “the aim of this lecture is to use art and/or the arts to re-orientate our thinking on a broad range of issues.”
Bossinakis said that Boochani and Afshar embody this statement as “both artists enrapture the broader community and inspire deeper thought through their multiple artistic mediums.”
The evening’s moderator, Prof. Nikos Papastergiadis – Director of the Research Unit in Public Cultures and Professor in the School of Culture and Communication at Melbourne University – talked about John Berger’s legacy and how important it was “not to monumentalise him” but rather to “use John Berger as a platform” to discuss critical ideas.
Prof. Papastergiadis, Boochani and Afshar discussed the six years Boochani spent in Manus offshore detention centre, and how through mediums such as poetry, writing and song, Boochani was able to develop a channel to combat the institutionalised violence and misery he endured.
Their thoughts and discussions were also accompanied by the work of Afshar, an award-winning Iranian documentary photographer based in Melbourne. Afshar visited Boochani on Manus Island in 2018 and through film and photography, she documented Boochani’s experience there.
Behrouz Boochani is in Australia to promote his new book Freedom, Only Freedom – The Prison Writing of Behrouz Boochani. Boochani is also the author of the award-winning book No Friend but the Mountains which was painstakingly typed out in text messages while he was incarcerated. Hoda Afshar is an Iranian documentary photographer based in Melbourne known for her 2018 prize-winning portrait of Behrouz Boochani.
To purchase Boochani’s new book please go to Freedom, Only Freedom: The Prison Writings of Behrouz Boochani: Behrouz Boochani: Bloomsbury Academic