About
Yamam Nabeel was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1976. His family went into exile in 1980 and spent the following 18 months living in France, East Germany, Syria, Lebanon, Czechoslovakia before settling in Hungary in 1981, before moving to the UK in 1992.
Yamam was educated in Hungary and the UK. He began writing short stories in Hungarian at age 16, these stories were translated into Arabic and published in Al Hayat, Al Quds Al Arabi and Sharq Alawsat, to critical acclaim.
He went on to work for MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Centre), as a segment producer before moving on to continue as an independent producer, creating content that syndicated internationally for the likes of CNN, Channel 4 in the UK, Sky Sports and Sky News.
In 2003 Yamam set up FC Unity, an award-winning NGO with a mission to combat violence, extremism and racism through sport and education, with large scale programmes delivered in Iraq, Afghanistan, UK, Ghana, Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Djibouti.
Since 2017, Yamam has been focusing on telling the stories, through phototherapy and writing, of those whose stories may never be told.
My Story So Far...
I started taking photos as a child, as I have always been fascinated by images. As a child living in exile, images were all we carried with us; they were all that carried our memories.
After fleeing Iraq, my family and I spent a year and a half moving between France, East Germany and Czechoslovakia before settling in Hungary where I spent my formative years.
I am Iraqi first and foremost. My first language is Hungarian and my first contact with the written words came through this uniquely beautiful language. As a teenager we moved to the UK where I was presented with inspirations and opportunities. The theme of “home” and “exile” are explored throughout my work, through my words and my images.
I was 16 when my family and I moved the the UK. At that time I did not speak a word of English; so to cope with my second exile, I began writing short stories, inspired by the Hungarian writer Istvan Orkeny.
Several of these short storied were translated into Arabic and published in international daily Arab publications. Al Hayat, Asharq Al Awsat and Al Quds, to mention a few.
After studying Politics & History at the University of Bradford, I began working in the media, as a television producer, creating content for CNN, Sky News, ITN News, Channel 4 and MBC, amongst many other.
My first photographs, as part of the articles I wrote, were published for Sayidati magazine in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
My first photographs, as part of the articles I wrote, were published for Sayidati magazine in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
In 2003, a week after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, during a television interview I was conducting with Bernd Stange, the German manager of the Iraq national football team, I decided to bring the Iraq team to the UK. This idea turned into the Goodwill UK Tour of the Iraq National Team in May 2004, a two-week training camp and international games that were designed to foster a cultural understanding between the people of Iraq and the UK.
Following the success of this tour, I created FC Unity, a non-profit social enterprise that uses the power of football to create a platform for education and development for young people.
To date the programme has created large-scale events in partnership with governments, educational bodies and local communities in Iraq, the UK, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
After handing over FC Unity to the new generation, I started writing again and picked up my camera to show my side of the story. This is my journey.
Exhibitions
- July 2018 - A London Minute at Acralycize (Studio 7) in Shoreditch, London, UK.
- Sep. 2019 - A Minute in Exile at Brody Studios, Budapest, Hungary.
- Oct. 2019 - Hidden Moments at After Nyne Gallery in Notting Hill, London, UK.
- Dec. 2019 - Took part with two prints at the Art for Youth exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London, UK.
