Project Description
Amadu Wurie Khan
Amadu Wurie Khan (pen-name: Pa-Wurie Khan) is from Sierra Leone and currently lives in Peebles, Scotland. He is a human rights journalist, a performance poet, storyteller, academic at large and a community development practitioner. Since arriving in the UK, he has undertaken research on asylum and the refugee condition, social inclusion, participative democracy, environmental injustice, global development adn British media coverage of asylum issues. His previous academic research includes journalism and armed conflict in Africa, African literature, verbal art forms and folklore.
Most recently he has held research consultancies with the Open University, Article 19, Refugee Survival Trust and Oxfam-Scotland. He has published in UK poetry and academic journals.
Publications:
‘The Ceasefire’, 2002, The Eildon Tree, Issue 8: Autumn 2002, p8
‘The Pentland Buttocks’ 2002 The Eildon Tree, Issue 8: Autumn 2002, p8
‘Bee Jamboree’ 1995, For Di People, Dec 1995
‘Bulldogs’ 1996, For Di People, March 1996
‘Elders of Tomorrow’, 1996, For Di People, April 1996
‘Trinity in Nature’, 1998, Journal of Language and Language Education-JLLE, vol. 1, 1998
‘Labelling’, 2003, Multicultural News, Issue No 12, Feb 2003
War Games
(observed over TV)
Poor thing pressed the keyboards…
defecating a maze of thunderbolts
Sirens wail in the dusk of night
wee humanity under Godly skies await
The fireballs fizzling, into emeralds
they descend on roofs and playgrounds in turbulent blizzards
Scary mums dashed to cuddle
Poor angels rudely shocked in their Coty slumber
with wands cupped to muffle
frantic screams of panic over their plunder
But when tremored, innocent tots
In Baghdad, Basra, West Bank, Kabul, Gaza, Belgrade, Freetown …into eternal sleepers
little one is fantasying: Uncle Samta’s bonfires at Xmas are fireworks
on the other side by jet bombers and ballistics for their friendly numbers.