Separated from loved ones and smuggled onto a fishing boat at age 16, Hani Abdile fled Somalia in search of a new home, only to find it in poetry.
She was detained on Christmas Island for 11 months before arriving in Australia in 2013, with nothing but her writing to provide comfort during the dark times.
It's that same search for comfort that now inspires Abdile's work with Chasing Home, an annual storytelling event sharing the experiences of refugees much like herself.
The Sydney-based forum is one of many included in the 2024 Story Week program, including the National Poetry Slam finals.
Abdile believes it's necessary for refugees to be able to speak their truth as poetry becomes its own tool for activism.
"When the poets put two words together ... that is when change starts ... so when we share our stories, we're letting the rest of the world know that actually enough is enough," she told AAP.
Hosting the three-hour event, Abdile hopes to inspire conversations on displacement and the search for belonging through spoken-word poetry and a panel discussion.
"It's a privilege to be resettled and to be given another beginning but there's no joy in (seeing history repeated)," she said.
Abdile still finds herself remembering her past when she hears news from the ongoing crises in Sudan and the Gaza Strip.
"When part of the world is in crisis ... I go into shock because this is the journey that I made once upon a time," she said.
"(The memory) opens like a wound that you're trying to heal but every time that you heal, it gets infected again."
Writing is a form of medicine for Abdile, who writes to heal herself and those around her from the lingering trauma of war and displacement.
"It's not a crime to be a refugee ... it's a sign of resilience and courage," she said.
"My circumstances in life might change, but I'm still the same person with the same values."
The event takes place on October 13 at Customs House.
