Workshops at Napier Barracks

I found something that kind of really triggered my interest. While I'd been in the UK, it wasn't that pleasant, but finding myself in that environment where I could relate to things that I love and then finding people that can really relate to everything I was doing in terms of music, and calling me a brother - that really changed my whole attitude.

On a Thursday afternoon, a typical Hear Me Out music session would be people trooping in and picking up instruments like djembes, like congas, tambourines and drums. Bass guitar, whatever. And people just jumping in and trying to create their own music.

Talented people as well - who have already written stories or music based on their life experience or based on their journey, and they share that with everyone as well as the coordinators who would be guiding us through to get some assemblage of music - composing music right there and then.

You wouldn't relate to people by nationality, but you could feel like at that moment everybody's united and one, and the joy goes on and on and on. It looks more like therapy that really helped most of the people in the barracks. And for me, it really helped me to calm my nerves in all those shaky moments.

You feel like ‘when is the next Thursday?’ That had been my dream all those times. Like I'm always dreaming about when that next session is coming, when I'm going to have that opportunity.

And in those past moments of going through all those difficult times, I just found Hear Me Out, especially with the coordinators encouraging me, not just with the music sessions, but encouraging me not to kill off my dream or letting my dreams die.

The Hear Me Out coordinators helped out - encouraging and nurturing my talent by inviting me for co-creation meetings, inviting me for other external meetings and music workshops where I learned a lot. And playing with them also gave me that ability to say, I really need to work hard and not give up, regardless of all those hard life times.

Returning as a Workshop Host

I went back to Napier Barracks after I had my leave to remain accepted. All because I realised that in that same moment that helped me out during that time when I was there in Napier Barracks, people were still there. And that was a way for me to also give out what I could to support anybody that was there.

So I wrote new songs to encourage hope and went to play with them, that sense of encouragement and continuing those kind of lively moments.

The Unknowns

I joined The Unknowns after a while, and we've been playing music. I personally have been composing music and singing, playing the piano as well. It has been a fantastic moment - spending time with people that I can call friends and family.

The Unknowns are a group of people from the detention center as well as refugees, asylum seekers that come together regardless of all that they've been through, all they're going through. It's beautiful - people coming together. We've got lots of life issues, and this is what The Unknowns are made of - brave, loving people who want to give back to the community regardless.

The Union Chapel gig was one of my first times playing with The Unknowns. The dedication and sacrifice of rehearsal and coming together, having fun , writing new songs was just amazing. I believe that that Union Chapel gig was one of the beautiful times that The Unknowns just opened up to the community in a certain sense, which was lovely.

Being on stage at that moment was my first step of meeting a big audience to play with. It was beautiful. And having all these beautiful people playing together and sharing our message of love and hope was something beautiful. It felt like an achievement to say, this is what we want the world to hear, and this is what we want the world to give and we actually gave it.

Hear Me Out Artist

Hear Me Out has been a brilliant support for music in detention centers, and they have really helped in so many various ways, helping organise, invest in time to make sure that we are well and equipped to do music and encouraging us to keep on fighting the good battle is really amazing.

Now I'm happy to say I'm an artist and part of Hear Me Out and I'm really proud to be part of Hear Me Out in this moment. I'm confident to say I have something to give to the world - not just receiving, but also delivering to the world.

Through this organisation, I'm able to get the opportunity to share whatever love, to share whatever hope that I want to give to the world through music, through helping, by being involved in running our workshops and having courage helping people to write their own songs and then take them through that journey of happiness and love, because the world has more to give than all our troubles and hopes.

Life is unending and life keeps flowing and I believe that dreams can be possible.

The Future

Now, I can call the UK my home and I really hope and dream all my aspirations of being a musician, of being a professional tailor will actually contribute to everything that they have given me - to contribute to the world and the opportunities and chances have given me. I hope that my life will be a reflection of every positive aspect to also encourage someone not to give up, but to keep on doing the things that you hope to do.