After the Tampa: from Afghanistan to New Zealand

This is a memoir describing Abbas Nazari’s childhood journey of survival from living under Afghanistan Taliban to seeking asylum in Australia via a leaking decrepit Indonesian fishing boat. That story made world headlines in 2001 as eventually Abbas, his family and many others were rescued by the Norwegian boat MV Tampa.

After the Tampa was published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of that event and to emphasise the plight of refugees today. It is an insightful, inspirational true story that is particularly relevant for all Kiwis given that Abbas and his family have settled here.

Abbas sees firsthand how refugee statistics are used in Australian politics and Nauru became a place where refugee children were born behind wire. Connections also extend to more recent events such as evacuations in Afghanistan under renewed Taliban rule.

This is how Abbas summarises the current world plight:

“Even if every signatory to the Refugee Convention were to increase its refugee intake tenfold it would hardly make a dent in the more than 70 million displaced peoples…”

Abbas is a Fullbright Scholar and his writing style is very readable. Descriptions of desperate survival are offset by colorful descriptions of childhood village life.

This is a timely read.

Title: After the Tampa: from Afghanistan to New Zealand

Author: Abbas Nazari

Publisher: Allen & Unwin NZ

ISBN: 9781988547640

RRP: $36.99

Format: Paperback

Publication: August 2021

Ages: YA and up

Reviewer: Michele Ayres, Librarian, Motueka High School

How are you recommending this book? Highly recommended

What’s the book’s opening sentence? ‘Wake up! Abbas, wake up - we have to go now!”

You can buy this book here and read a student review on Hooked on Books