Book Talk: man @the_airport, by Hassan Al Kontar

Hassan Al Kontar, author of man @the_airport, will be in conversation with Anisa Abeytia, GRN Think Tank Programme Co-ordinator and migration researcher on displacement, inequality, the dysfunction of asylum and integration law, the role of borders/sovereignty/national security in creating refugees and displacement, racism and the power of people. The brilliance of Al Konar's narrative teaches the reader about hope and the importance of allowing refugees to frame their own stories. He tells his story from within the system and offers unique and important insights for policy makers, researchers, students and practitioners in the field of Migration Studies.

About the Book:

When civil war broke out in his home country in 2011, Hassan Al Kontar was a young Syrian living and working in the UAE. After a series of setbacks, he was arrested in 2017 and deported in 2018. Unable to obtain a visa for any other country, he became trapped in the arrivals zone at Kuala Lumpur Airport. Exiled by war and trapped by geopolitics, Al Kontar used social media and humour to tell his story to the world, becoming an international celebrity and ultimately finding refuge in Canada.

Man at the Airport explores what it means to be a Syrian, an "illegal" and a refugee. More broadly, it examines the power of social media to amplify individual voices and facilitate political dissent.

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