Meet Khaled Alesmael author of the first ‘homoerotic perspective on the Syrian war’

In the second of our series looking at the ongoing artistic contribution of Syrian refugees with whom we have been fortunate to work in the past, we profile Khaled Alesmael. Khaled was an accomplished radio journalist before he left Syria and came to work with us in Istanbul in 2013.  There he trained Syrian radio journalists and produced radio programs before claiming political asylum in Sweden the following year. Khaled is now a Swedish citizen, journalist and author. He has gone on to write two novels, including Selamlik, published in Swedish and German, regarded by many as the first homoerotic perspective on the Syrian war. Selamlik, the title of which brings to mind hope for change and freedom, tells the story of Furat and his journey from war-torn Syria to Sweden as a refugee. The book, which bears many parallels to Khaled’s own journey, has been widely acclaimed as a powerful account of an emergent Arab queer identity and is on the shortlist of the Skoutz Award in Germany. Khaled received an award for his short, Coffee with Sukkar, at the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2019 and went on to win the Swedish Radio Award 2020 for his radionovela A Cotton Bag Carries Damascus. Now based in London, you can keep up with Khaled’s artistic output at @KhaledAlesmael and https://khaledalesmael.com/.