ken word artist Hamza
ad a.k.a. Relevant K

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By Ashley Whillans, Arts Editor

e may be new to the scene,
but after only a year Hamza
Fouad is leaving his mark on

the slam circuit. At Café Deux Soliel’s
Youth Slam, where he was performing
his first feature act (sort of like a half
time show at slam poetry events)
Fouad took some time out to talk to
The Other Press about his involvement
with slam poetry and the slam poetry
scene in Vancouver.

Other Press: How did you get
involved in spoken word poetry?
Hamza Fouad: | came out to one
spoken word slam around this time
last year and it was tremendous, one of
those special ones with a competition
and an actual slam night, so I got to
see all these amazing people come up
and do their thing. And I remember
thinking to myself, “I want it,”
watching those people having a great
time, I craved it. So I went home that
night and started writing, and went out
the next week and started performing.
OP: What was your first poem and
what inspired it?

HF: My first poem was called
“Impossible is Nothing.” It was

 

inspired when I began wanting to be an
actor. People kept saying to me, “Actor?
Yeah, right.” So I began thinking,
“impossible is nothing,” and wrote a
poem about it.

OP: Any words of wisdom on being a
poet?

HF: Do not censor yourself ever. A

lot of people write for other people

or for the wrong reasons: to be hip,

to be cool..., [laughs]. I started poetry
to get women, that’s the true story.
Just kidding, not at all. Don’t censor
yourself, if you have a thought go with
it, and entertain, entertain people. Just
do you. Don’t try to be anyone else on
stage, just be you.

OP: Who are your top three most
inspiring people?

HF: Honestly, Tupac. I don’t want to
go into any stereotypes, “Oh, the black
man likes Tupac,” but Tupac is the first
poet I ever heard and he inspires me to
this day. More recently, Knaan. He is
tremendous. Just the fact that he came
from just little beginnings and is now an
international musician, just from being
himself and giving his observations

on the world and the tough life he’s
had, that really inspires me. I literally
YouTube him, watch and start writing,
that’s how inspiring he is to me right

now. Third, I would have to say my
mother. My mother’s had a tough life and
she really inspires me to write.

OP: Describe slam poetry in two
sentences

HF: “Kick ass.” Those were two words,
not two sentences... “Glorificously”
amazing form of expression and the
“funnest” thing I’ve ever done!

Well said, Hamza, everyone always likes

Hamza Fouad

 

the artist who credits his mother!
With a couple more features coming
up for Hamza in Victoria, as well as
a national competition known as the
CBC Poetry Faceoff on March 20"
at Café Deux Soliel, stay tuned to
hear a lot more from Hamza Foaud
in the future. As for right now, you
can check out his YouTube page at
www.youtube.com/hamzafouad.

 

 

Gran Torino: change you need to believe in

By Albert Leung

latest epic film, he plays the

ignorant Korean War veteran
Walt Kowalski. The story begins with
Kowalski sitting in a pew, mourning his
late wife and feeling disenfranchised
from the people around him.

Really, this movie could have been
split into two different stories. On the
one hand you have the story of the wily
and grumpy octogenarian Kowalski
who is struggling to keep up in an
“ever-changing” world. On the other
hand, you have the story of young Thao
Van Lor, played by Bee Vang, who is
struggling to come to terms with the
responsibilities of adulthood and of
becoming a man.

When Van Lor and Kowalski’s
stories come together for the first
time, that is when Lor tries to steal
Kowalski’s Gran Torino, Kowalski
decides to reform the boy, and the pair

become inseparable—almost like an
20

[: Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood’s

old school father and son relationship.
Unfortunately for the pair their bliss

is short lived. The local Hmong gang

is very interested in bringing Van Lor
down, and so instead of continuing to
cultivate a meaningful relationship, Van
Lor and Kowalski are forced to fight off

     

\ on
these local troublemakers.
Both the gang and Kowalski put

considerable pressure on Van Lor to
“grow up” and “become a man” and the
conflict and subsequent action becomes
reminiscent of Harry’s journey from the
film Dirty Harry.

While generally Gran Torino
is a strong film, it does have one
glaring weakness: the cast. Other
than Eastwood, the supporting cast is
incredibly underwhelming. Another
shortcoming to this film, which it tries
desperately to hide, is the simple plot. It
seems that the plot in which Kowalski
eventually saves his neighbours is
somewhat simple and formulaic. Not
to mention, if you are someone who is
sensitive to racial slurs, you probably
won’t appreciate this movie either, as
Eastwood himself is responsible for
over 50!

Despite a formulaic plot, poor
supporting cast and the use of racial
slurs, I assure that the positive aspects
of this film overshadow the negative.
Eastwood’s sharp tongue and character
development are winning and overall,
the story of Gran Torino sheds new
light on the struggles of change.

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