Cover Poet, law student and women’s rights advocate Adriana Ghafar on the importance of community and the story behind her debut poetry collection ‘Everything in Between’ (Photo: Adriana Ghafar)
Poet, law student and women’s rights advocate Adriana Ghafar on the importance of community and the story behind her debut poetry collection ‘Everything in Between’ (Photo: Adriana Ghafar)
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Poet, law student, model, news anchor and women’s rights advocate Adriana Ghafar on the importance of community and the story behind her debut poetry book ‘Everything in Between’
At the age of 15 years old, Adriana Ghafar first witnessed domestic abuse. A taboo topic back then (as it still is for some today), Adriana endeavoured to choose a life path that would let her do something to help and empower women while shedding light on the issues that affect them most.
“In Malaysia, we especially have this mindset of ‘It’s ok, lah.’ But there are so many unspoken truths about women, right? We just don’t talk about it, or if we do, it’s behind closed doors, just among us women. That needs to change,” says the 26-year-old Universiti Malaya law graduate and newly self-published author of her debut bilingual poetry work titled Everything in Between.
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Above Last month, Johor-based author Adriana launched her collection of Malay and English poems in Kuala Lumpur
Last month, Johor-based author Adriana launched her collection of Malay and English poems in Kuala Lumpur
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“It was a huge challenge writing and compiling this book while balancing my work as a chambering student,” Adriana adds. “Every day was a struggle to edit and make it look like the book it is today. It was also a challenge showing what I call this ‘other part of me’ to other people.”
“My entire mission is to democratise poetry while helping young women out there at the same time,” she says. “To me, poetry is a tool of self-expression and a way for me to be honest about myself. I wrote this book to be an example for other young women to be inspired to write their own work and express themselves.”
Drawing from a diverse set of life experiences, including being named runner-up at the 2019 Dewi Ramaja TV competition to working with women-focused NGOs like dearHer and WOMEN:Girls, Adriana published her debut poetry collection to empower young women through themes of resilience over rejection and self-belief.
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With over 16,000 followers on Instagram, it’s clear that Adriana’s words resonate with many. Inspired by her poetry-loving grandfather, she is determined to use her platform to spark positive conversations about women's empowerment while creating a community for women to “fall in love” with poetry again.
“I don’t think there is a right and wrong in poetry. Anybody can write it, whether it’s three verses or 30 pages. It’s really not as elitist as some think. My hope is that when other women read it and see how vulnerable and open I can be, they might have the courage to open up about their stories, too.”
Last month, Adriana launched Everything in Between in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with her partnership with Women Of Will, an NGO dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs living in low-income communities. Adriana committed an initial contribution of RM10,000 to Women of Will as part of the collaboration.
“I’ve always believed in the power of words to heal, inspire, and bring us together. I hope this book ignites passion, especially among the marginalised, for poetry as a medium of self-expression, to find their voice, gain empowerment and express their experiences,” she says, adding that she has plans to host poetry and writing workshops in the future as well as poetry slam events for underprivileged women.
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Above Being open and vulnerable through her poetry was a struggle for Adriana initially
Being open and vulnerable through her poetry was a struggle for Adriana initially
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Why would you let other people you don’t even know tell you that you’re not good enough?
Given her stints as a model and pageant contestant, being open and vulnerable through her poetry was a struggle for Adriana initially. “That’s how society portrays public figures, right? You have to be perfect. Make even one mistake or show a side of you that is not ‘good enough’, and you’ll be bashed and criticised.
“At the end of the day it’s your life. And if I want to be entirely honest about myself to the world, then what of it?” says Adriana, who names Maya Angelou and Bernice Chauly among her literary inspirations.
“The most important thing is to know yourself. Why would you let other people you don’t even know tell you that you’re not good enough, that you should stay quiet, or stay in the kitchen?
“You don’t have to stay in one place and keep listening to all those voices. Instead, find a community that supports you–people who are like-minded and have the same values and mindset. I work with many NGOs, so having a community is very important to me. At the end of the day, women are supposed to have voices. We don’t have to stay quiet.”
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
