This Interview was originally taken by Ana Spehar and publish by Cork City Libraries Come here till I tell ya! CORK CITY LIBRARIES BLOG (tumblr.com)
Photo courtesy Cork City Libraries | in Photo Fahmeda Naheed
Fahmeda Naheed holds several academic degrees, including an M.Phil from UCC, Certification in Mental Health in Communities from UCC and Policing and Human Rights Law in Ireland from the University of Limerick. Fahmeda Naheed is a former Graduate Intern for Diversity, Executive Officer, An Garda Siochana, Regional Office, Anglesea Street, Cork, Ireland. She writes for Garda Review Magazine. She is a tutor of Fusion Cooking (Irish-Pakistani food) with Cork City Partnership. She is a member of Faith of Sanctuary and an Ambassador of Schools of Sanctuary.
Fahmeda Naheed is currently working with Doras on SALAAM Project. She is a registered teacher with the Teaching Council of Ireland. She worked in different capacities and roles as a trainer, Intercultural Dialogue facilitator, translator/interpreter, community and researcher and has a few publications. She remained involved in a number of projects for migrants and integration, including running diversity recruitment campaigns for An Garda Síochána, political participation of migrants in Ireland, training projects; policy initiatives, providing training on Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, campaigns through involving schools, and college students in raising awareness on diversity issues through public speaking, research and writing projects.
Your poem was recently published as a part of the Protest Poetry collection and you wrote an essay for the Pathways collection, both for Good Day, Cork. When did you start writing? Do you prefer to write poetry or prose, or both?
I started writing at my school age. I use to write in my own language which is Urdu and expressed my thoughts in both poetry and prose. I tried to look at the world in the shoes of others which helped me to make many friends from different age groups who shared their encounters. I feel writing in any form is beautiful but through poetry, many messages can be sent across and readers imagine them according to their own lived experiences.
Can you tell us more about your creative process? Do you have a favourite writing space?
I have always things going on in the back of my mind which is never planned. Any reading, listening to other stories, experience, overwhelmed emotions, cause and effect impact, environmental influence, day-to-day life and family challenges – all contribute to my creative process. I do not have any specific writing space. If I get in the mood to write, I write while sitting on a bus, park, room or anywhere. I just need a feeling and mood as a stimulus and of course time.
Would you look on writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
Yes, writing is a spiritual practice. It is a reflection of body and soul needs which need a sense of attainment, attention and eagerness. It balances the needs, aspirations and soul journey. We have to discover our soul pathways through reading, writing, listening and expressing through spiritual learning practices. Anger is a very strong emotion which needs to be translated into a good expression and poetry, art, writing, creativity makes this possible. Also dealing with mental health, we need to reflect on ourselves that all senses of learning are working together, with full potential for smoothness of our mental and physical world.
Where do you seek inspiration from?
Just like life, you learn in multiple ways- people, books, places, nature, feeling, success, failure, religion, relationships, news, conversation, dialogue, work, research, love, knowing yourself, dreams, movies, ideas, and sometimes no idea where I get ideas too! I definitely look into that idea that challenges me as a person, questions my presence, and touches the soul, asks questions to reason my own creation and creativity and character. There is not a single person in my life, I met and did not get inspiration from. If you ask me my first inspiration, I would name Allama Iqbal, a 20th Century poet, South Asian writer, philosopher, politician and man of vision. I was so addicted to his philosophy of life that it boosted my morality, self-reliance, courage and resilience, dedication, confidence, self-respect, sense of achievement, dignity and hope. The language he used, worked as a spiritual revolution for me. Just a short quote from his poetry
‘Delve into your soul and there seek our life’s buried tracks;
Will you not be mine? Then be not mine, be your own right/your own self!’
What book would you recommend to our readers?
I would recommend readers read the English translation of the Quran, not by considering it as a religious book but by analysing it from many perspectives. I read it every day and derived the essence of my life -it consists of stories, ups and downs of nations, sociological aspects, language and literature, civilization, rise and fall of civilizations, character-building, love, care, right and responsibilities, the guidance of life and quality of life. It helped me to set up my priorities, sense of real life, hard work, timetable, and work-life balance. It gave me the purpose that humanity starts from yourself (self-kindness), and spreads to family and then to the community. It developed my love of nature and understood the delicate messages it gives. I developed research methodologies from Quran – from investigations to the highest aspects of intellect. There are parts in it that credit the wisdom and vision in understanding the universe. It inspires the readers through monologue, historical and contemporary themes and character-building to community-building.
Tribute to women
(Tribute to all women – Vicky Phelan, Sandra Boyd, Mary Bergin, Ruth Lohse, Alyson Nelson, Louise Muckell, Margaret Una Noone, Lisa Thompson, Larisa Serban, Miriam Burns, Hollie Thomson, Lisa Cash, Iona Mihaela Pacala, Sharon Crean, Bruna Fonesca, and Natalie McNally)
Who you are
Where are u
No matter what planet u belong to – Part of the planet u belong too!
We share ,we care ,we love, we uplift, we grow ,we touch the sky
We are creators
We are reformist
We are saints, we have spirituality
We flourish
We sustain We together Or alone
We are a masterpiece of nature
We are superior
We are the universe and the universe is in us
We laugh and the world sparks!
We open our eyes to make the sun arises!
We close our eyes and the darkness come
We are not a misery but a cycle of change
The world will definitely realise the beauty We have
We are not shame but we are fame
To the whole world and mankind -we are not defeated as we are warriors of an unending war
Which will end on the dome’s day!
We are courage and never failed
We are struggling to make our ways
We are seeds, plants, trees and shadows in the rain and severe weathers- all seasoned
We are spring but autumn is the time when we all get ready to grow
We are fertile though few try to barren us!!! Something is wrong which must be changed and stopped…. You can’t ignore us, you can’t avoid us
We are stars, always shining, sometimes dark makes us see
We are cure
We are not a drama episode but we are here from start to the end and before start to after the end!
We are romance and poetry, the world can’t live without us
We are souls of the body of this planet
Nothing can work without us
Nothing will grow without us
Heaven is under our feet
We will change the world – we are conquerors
Come forward, grab yourself and shout ‘We are time and never will die’
We are colours
When u accept yourself
Whole world will accept u
Embrace your self
In your own arms-lift yourself from your own power
Never see outside, inner is your existence
Plan your plans-make them real as real as you are
No worries, love yourself, find your soul, find your ways, fly with spirit-
love resides in you- Care yourself as kindness begins from you!
Laugh with soul and dream your dreams-Your eyes are yours to find you- Your hands are yours to build yourself- Your taste is yours, taste the taste
Sketch yourself, build yourself,
with your hands, create yourself!!!
What if there is no Hate
What if there is no hate
The planet will be one belonging to all- blacks, whites, yellows and browns
Wisdom would be everywhere with no exaggerations
All birds will fly free
Live free, breathe free
no conspiracies
no destruction
no judgments and injustice,
no biases, no stereotyping and hypocrisy
no blames, no claims
no violation of human respect, dignity and rights
No ignorance, no fear, no wars, no damage
AS
Hate is the greatest enemy of peace
Hate is the lowest display of power
Hate is insecurity for everyone, hate is a troll
Hate starts from self-hate-hater’s self
There is hate, there is no life- If there would be no hate, unlimited numbers of dead would be living today or have had longer lives- Lizzie o Neill, Catherine Cooper, George Applebe, Sarah Frances, Michael J.Reynolds, Elizabeth Plunkett, Seamus Quaid, Patrick Gerard Reynolds,Father, Niall Molloy, Marilyn Rynn, Brian Murphy, Ashling Murphy, Lisa Cash and ….
Let’s love, leave no space for hate
hold hands not guns- love is the peak of glory
As hate is a crime, its an evil, a Satan’s dictionary word,
Hate is racism, hate is an ugly projection; a failed word, the most unwelcomed gesture
unlearn hate- “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”- bruce lee
Embrace love, hold love, hug love, sow love, grow love, source love, come and dare to love!
Love is natural, it is nature, it is God!
