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Frahad Bandesh
Songs The big exhale and Cruel Policy :
See media release for Cruel Policy
Refugee detained in a Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre releases song calling out Australia's cruel detention policies
Media Release
22 July 2020
Kurdish refugee and artist Farhad Bandesh has teamed up with people across the world to release a song titled ‘Cruel Policy’ to mark the 7-year anniversary of then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declaring that no one who arrived by boat would ever be settled in Australia and would be processed off shore.
The song is being released on the anniversary of Farhad’s arrival by boat to Christmas Island seeking asylum 23 July 2013.
Farhad has collaborated with fellow artists from within the confined walls of the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre (MITA) in Melbourne, after spending a year in the Mantra hotel and six years imprisoned on Manus Island.
Cruel Policy is co-written by Farhad Bandesh and Jenell Quinsee. It is produced by D.A.Calf and mastered by Grammy nominated engineer Joe Carra. The film clip is directed and produced by Sean Healy and features contributions from across the world – including Stateless actor Fayssal Bazzi, lead singer of Hothouse Flowers Liam Ó Maonlaí and lead singer of Goanna Shane Howard, Damian Callahan, actor, comedian – The Merger, Craig Foster (ex Socceroo), Lidia Thorpe (Senator) and Nick McKim (Senator) along with fellow people who are detained.
‘When we wrote this song, we wanted it to clearly show what a dark policy this is, a dark time in Australia’s history. These people need to be released into the community immediately to live, like we do. Many are now entering their 8th year of imprisonment’ Jenell Quinsee says.
Creative partnerships like this is only possible by use of mobile phones. A recent attempt by Peter Dutton to remove these from refugees in Australia’s detention centres will put an immediate end to this, and brutally disconnect communication with family, friends, legal and other support. Despite this attempt, people like Farhad continue to fight passionately for truth and freedom.
Farhad says ‘without our phones we would lose so much more hope, it would break our connections to family, friends and support. I would not be able to create and share my love, music, art and stories with the world. We would not be able to communicate what is happening to us.
We are also incredibly fearful of COVID 19. We are in a high-risk situation here. It is impossible to socially distance or take control to effectively care for our own health and wellbeing. We need to be released from this high-risk situation. This song is for all of us refugees. We need this suffering to end. Let us out of these prisons.’
Cruel Policy: Cruel Policy - Youtube
Media contact: Farhad Bandesh – 0421 961 459
