Born in Baghdad, producer Motez couldn’t be happier to call Adelaide home. The star beat-maker is one of the hottest properties to come out of Australia’s well-stocked electronic scene. He’s also a former asylum seeker.
“On this day, 10 years ago I moved to Australia from Iraq and made Adelaide my new home,” the producer recently wrote on Facebook, opening up about his experience and looking back on his achievements since.
In particular, Motez addresses the stereotypes surrounding refugees: “If circa-2006 me would have told present me what my life is going to be 10 years on, I would have asked him to stop living in the dream world.”
“While a lot of it was not easy, it was well worth the journey and I am thankful for everything and all the amazing people who helped me and my family feel welcomed.”
“I am saying the above because this comes at a very relevant time, the refugee crisis is still present, it happened to my dad in Woomera and it’s happening to countless other fathers, mothers and even children on Nauru and Manus Island.”
“This is not a political issue, it’s not about being a ‘greenie’ or ‘socialist’, not about right or left wing, it’s an issue about being human AND humane, it transcends any political or ideological affiliations.”
“On this day I ask everybody to get behind what’s right, to raise their voices in the face of injustice, bigotry and xenophobia, to be informed about the crisis as a whole not only in Australia but around the world and to help those in need who simply cannot ‘go back where they came from’.”
“I do not believe for one second that Australia as a whole doesn’t welcome refugees because ‘Real Australians Say Welcome’ and I have seen and experienced this first hand.” You can read Motez’s full post via Facebook below.
As Rip It Up notes, Motez previously touched on his experience as an asylum seeker at the SAM Awards. Accepting the award for Best Producer, he dedicated his win to “anybody who says boat people can’t do”.
