A Rap Poem: Sara Yamoul’s Powerful Message of Peace

By Manuela Kelly Calzini

Recently, I reached out to Antonietta D'Introno, the editor of Peperoncino Rosso magazine, to share a brief description of the Hands Up Project, an organization I’ve been passionately volunteering with since 2020. The Hands Up Project does incredible work, bringing stories to life even amidst the challenges of war, and my experiences with them have been deeply moving.

In a delightful twist of fate, a teacher from Antonietta’s hometown assigned her students to write about a current event. One of these students, a remarkable 16-year-old named Sara, wrote a poignant rap poem that was subsequently published in an issue of Peperoncino Ros

Meet Sara Yamoul

My name is Sara Yamoul. I'm 16 years old and I'm Italian. My parents were born in Khoribga, near Casablanca in Morocco, where all our relatives still live. Many years ago, my grandfather moved to Italy and started working as a carpet merchant. My father joined him a few years later, and in 2005, he brought my mother and my 7 siblings to San Ferdinando. Now we live in Trinitapoli. My father is a merchant while my brothers work in the fields.

My sister Marya is a caregiver and studies Biology at the University of Foggia in her free time. I have just finished my second year at the Liceo Scientifico in Margherita di Savoia and hope to enroll in medical school after graduating because I want to become a doctor. I love reading and am passionate about Spanish, Turkish, and Korean culture.

In Trinitapoli, I have many friends, and I believe that the people who have gotten to know us have overcome any prejudice and respect us for who we are and what we do. However, sometimes my sister Marya still hears comments about our tradition of wearing the veil or gets greeted with "Allah Akbar" shouted in the street, but this has never happened in Trinitapoli.

Cultural differences have never prevented us from forming strong bonds with the local people. During the school year, my literature teacher, Professor Di Corato, gave us a class assignment to compose a poetic text on a current event.

Touched by the tragedy affecting Israel and Palestine, I composed a rap poem that I would like to share with your organisation. The youth of my generation must commit to building a world of peace and reject the notion of borders and separation walls as barriers to fraternizing with all of humanity.

Sara's Poem-Rap

Yes, I'm a refugee, not a terrorist

Why in every attack do they see me as the protagonist?

I'm just walking my path

I have nothing but peace and love on my list

In my land, they've left only mothers

And what kind of mothers, and what kind of fathers

Mothers who weep and fathers who suffer

Children scream

Under the rubble, they pray

Politicians lie

They promise peace

They continue to steal my land

With pre-war laws

They've stolen my childhood

They've stolen my hopes

My land is saturated with blood

They've oppressed us with violence

But in the eyes of the world, I'm nothing but a terrorist or a thief

A Muslim, a Palestinian

Who has no right to a country

Nevertheless, I continue to defend

My land with my words

Don't deceive me, don't delude me

I will continue to believe in freedom

A day will come when the sun will rise

Over the land of olives and sunflowers

At the end and not the end

Freedom for Palestine