Buy copies of ‘Let Me Shine: A Voice from the Ashes’ by Shofiqure Rahman HERE.

“We may be refugees but we are still human. We may have lost our own land but we still have dreams. And no matter how dark our past is, together, let’s shine.” – Shofiqure Rahman

For centuries, we Rohingya people have been living in a region called Arakan also known as Rakhine State in Myanmar. Even though our roots run deep in this land, we have never been accepted as citizens. Instead, we have faced discrimination, terrible violence, racial segregation and suffering for generations. During the mass atrocities of 2017 on 25th August, many of our villages were destroyed and a wave of killings, horrific genocide, sexual violence and forced evictions left our people scattered and with many of us ending up in Refugee Camps with no safe place to call home. This long history of pain and loss has changed us despite the fact that it has also made us stronger. From that pain, I, Shofiqure Rahman, a 17-year-old Rohingya poet, have decided to continuously bleed my ink to share our collective voice to this unfair world through writing books and advocating.

This book, ‘Let Me Shine: A Voice from the Ashes’ is the second poetry collection that comes straight from my own lived experience and real-life struggles. Through every poem, I try to give a voice to those who are unheard, bring hope to those who have lost it and shed a light on our story that is ignored by the world. This book is personal to me and also belongs to my whole Community. I heartily dedicated this to our people – young and old who have been carrying the dream of returning to our ancestral homeland. Here, every poem speaks honestly about what we go through: living without citizenship, losing our homes and wealth and suffering deep wounds. But there is also love in these lines and motivation and hope and faith for a better tomorrow. The poems are written in different styles like free verse, saino, haiku, tanka and storytelling poems. Some are short and sharp while others are long and emotional. Together, they show the many sides of our story. These are the voices that rose from the ashes. Even though this book tells my people’s story, it is not merely for us. I wrote it in simple, easy-to-understand language so that anyone including a refugee, a student, a teacher or anyone around the world can read and connect with it. You don’t need to be a poetry expert, all you need is a heart that’s open. This is not a call for pity but a heartfelt request to see us for who we are because we are not just victims but genocide survivors, creators as well as dreamers. We are students, poets, nuclear scientists, activists, police, leaders and most importantly human beings. And even when the world tries to push us down, we rise, we speak, we shine.

Shofiqure Rahman is a Rohingya poet, writer and youth activist. He is from Myanmar but lives in the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. Shofiqure is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at University of the People. Through his writing he strives to highlight the struggles of his people and inspire peace. Shofiqure’s writings have appeared in international anthologies and literary platforms. ‘Let Me Shine’ is his second poetry collection.

With thanks to Rohim Ullah for the cover photography. You can discover more of Rohim Ullah’s photography here.