I have known and worked with Luka since 2012 when I first heard his poetry through Melbourne spoken word events. I was immediately drawn to the passion and depth of his words. Luka’s poetry is bold, honest and raw, something that is often missing from the public discourse around the most crucial social issues.

I have watched Luka grow into a professional poet and artist who has devoted his work to anti-racism and non-violence, something that I have also been passionate about and active in as a social worker and through my consultancy, Global Echo.

As I transitioned from focusing mainly on diversity and inclusion work to looking at interventions for family, gendered and social violence, it made sense to recreate myself through the Institute of non-violence (IoNV).

As it happens, I had approached Luka in August this year, following the #BeirutBlast to collaborate on a poem that speaks against violence. One conversation led to another and we now have this powerful piece about gendered violence.

I felt that Luka’s passion for non-violence and his creative genius would align perfectly with the Institute’s core values (Harmony, Equality, Safety, Equity and Inclusion) and vision to create a world where non-violence is the social norm.

I also encourage men to be as vocal as possible about this topic. Men are largely responsible for patriarchal dominance and various forms of systemic oppression of women. White men (and women) who occupy spaces of leadership and decision making, therefore benefiting from these structures, are also largely responsible for dominance over and oppression of people of colour, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, people with different abilities, and other less advantaged groups.

The more we speak about these issues, using creativity and different ways of reaching people, like through poetry and music, the more able we will be to live in accordance with our true nature, which is harmonious, collaborative and peaceful.

My creative philosophy with this project is one of ‘edu-tainment’ – to bring important information to the people via powerful and engaging art. I believe this to be one of the many ways our societies can be strongly impacted – art has always been a potent tool for social change and I believe collaborating with an organisation such as the Institute of Non-Violence brings a weight to my work that I cannot bring on my own. Often, after having experienced a piece of my poetry or music, people tell me they are moved to act, but that they have nowhere to place that impetus – they don’t know where to start. Working with  the Institute of Non-Violence on this project gives people the immediate opportunity to take that inspiration immediately to the next level, embedding it into their personal or professional lives in a real way. Similarly, if my work can help the good people at IoNV to further their reach and positive impact upon our society by using it as a teaching tool, then this is another great reason for this collaboration. In many ways, I see this as my way of being in service of women and counteracting the history of negative relationships between the sexes – namely dominance and violence perpetrated by men onto the women around them. I know none of this work absolves me as a man, but if I can contribute my art towards better connectivity.