Resistance Manifestations in Mozafar Al Nawwab's Poems

A mixture of political views and resistance literature is so visible in the poems of some contemporary Arab poets that they are known as resistance poets. Mozafar Al Nawwab, the contemporary Iraqi poet, is one of them. Nawwab grew up in a noble and gentle Shia family in Iraq. From his family, he inherited an interest in literature and music and also political views to resist tyranny and colonialism. Also, he was influenced by revolutionary Shia beliefs which are based on Imam Ali’s views and the devotions of Imam Hussein. In his youth, he became a follower of Communism because he found Communism close to his ideals at that time. Therefore, his poem corresponded with his aims and ideals to reach equality and freedom and to end oppression. Nawwab was jailed and tortured several times and was forced to emigrate from Iraq to different countries. The language of Nawwab’s poems is colloquial and fluent, but after the defeat of Arab countries by Israel and the occupation of Palestine, his poems were influenced by revolutionary views and resistance literature. This influence was to such an extent that he was called Palestine poet. Nawwab sharply criticizes Arab leaders and governments- especially Gulf countries – for their failure to deal with Palestine occupation and the disorders in Arab countries. Such criticisms led to his works being banned in these countries. On the other hand, his poems are full of admiration and praise for revolutionaries, devotees, and martyrs. He calls for following martyrs and resisting enemies to reach freedom and equality. He calls for defeating the occupiers and resisting colonial powers. In this study, we intend to examine the manifestations of resistance literature.