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CHAKER KHAZAAL

Chaker Khazaal
File:Chaker Khazaal..jpg
Born	(1987-09-28) 28 September 1987 Beirut, Lebanon
Occupation	Writer, Public Speaker
Nationality	Palestinian Refugee, Canadian
Genre	Fiction, inspired by true stories, war, thriller, romantic
Notable works	Confessions of a War Child, Confessions of a War Child (Lia)

Chaker Khazaal (Arabic: شاكر خزعل) was born in Lebanon on September 28, 1987. Chaker is a Palestinian Canadian writer and speaker on social media, refugees, and international aid. He is known for his award winning novel trilogy, Confessions of a War Child, that was first released on March 17, 2013. He released the second story of the trilogy, subtitled Lia, on April 20, 2014.

Personal life

Born to Palestinian filmmaker Mahmoud Khazaal and socio-political activist mother Olfat Mahmoud, Chaker is the eldest of his three brothers: Fayez, Hadi, and Hani. He had an upbringing enriched with politics and arts. He was raised up in Bourj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp south of Beirut. Chaker moved to Toronto in 2005 to start his undergraduate studies at York University.

Chaker has the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which he has spoken about as something that had empowered him rather than jeopardized his work. He has said that he is a night creature where he prefers to write and work during the night. In an interview with 20 to 30, Chaker mentioned that he never sleeps for long periods but prefers to take regular naps during the day and night.

Career

thumb|Chaker at the United Nations in New York Chaker acted in many local plays in Beirut and at age of 13, he starred in the Palestinian film Sugar of Jaffa. When he was 17, Chaker was awarded the prestigious Global Leader of Tomorrow Award by Toronto’s York University for his excellent academic and leadership skills to study film production and international studies. During his four years at York University in Toronto, he worked as a student ambassador giving tours of the campus to future students and guests.

After completing his studies in 2009, he worked for Nations United, a Canadian platform for humanitarian organizations where he excelled in public speaking for refugees worldwide. Chaker was the creator and co-host of Nations United's humanitarian web-reality show Faces of Transformation. The show ran for six months in 2011 and became a success when one of the finalists started Qureshi Farm in India providing employment to locals in Fatehpur District.

Chaker spoke about international aid and sustainability in many countries such as Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Canada, United States of America, etc.

He resigned from Nations United in March 2013 to become an independent speaker and focus on his career as a writer. Chaker is an advocate for Palestinian refugees to immigrate to countries where there are opportunities. His views have been welcomed by many refugees and notable Palestinian figures such as author and TV host Rula Jebreal, but opposed by advocates of the Right of Return. In 2014, Chaker supported protests by Palestinian youth in Lebanon asking for work visas to work away from refugee camps in Lebanon where refugees are not allowed employment. He has helped Palestinian refugees to obtain remote employment via the internet in marketing, web design, and graphics. His team of refugees have been working on the marketing of the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Picture, the Palestinian Omar. He has also been an active speaker about the importance of sustainable aid in the form of employment for Syrian refugees.

Chaker has been mainly focused on his career as a writer since the launch of his first novel, Confessions of a War Child (Part One). He has become a popular and influential figure on social media, with many considering him a voice for refugees and young writers worldwide. In 2013, Chaker was listed in the Most 250 Influential People on Social Media in the Middle East.

Books

Confessions of a War Child is a thriller romantic trilogy of fiction inspired by true stories of war children around the world. The three books are narrated by dead people and the events take place in Kabar and Saghar, two fictional towns in the Arab desert. Some events take place in France, Italy and on an unspecified island. Each story of the novel has its own theme and independent plot, yet most characters continue from one part to the other. Chaker never confirmed which stories in Confessions of a War Child are his own lived experiences, leaving the readers to wonder which part of fiction and which part is not. In an interview with Ahmed Shihab ElDin, Chaker confirmed that he does not believe in fiction, saying "every fiction has a reality behind it."

Chaker wrote the trilogy during the night only, living the events of the book as if they were real. Close sources confirmed that whenever he completed a part, he went into depression for leaving the characters and the writing. In an interview with 20 to 30, Chaker said that he "truly fell in love with one of the characters, and it felt like a break up after completion."

Confessions of a War Child (Part One)

thumb|Confessions of a War Child (Part One)

Chaker started writing Confessions of a War Child (Part One) in July 2012 and released it in March 2013. The novel was launched at the Société de Lecture in Geneva. The first story of the novel is narrated by a man from the fictional town of Saghar who was killed on his wedding ceremony to a French woman, Camilia. The deceased groom narrates events of conspiracy that led to his murder which subsequently caused the war between Kabar and Saghar to begin. He emphasizes on eternal and unconditional love, watching out for his Camilia from the World of the Dead. Meanwhile, the French Camilia keeps a secret to herself that falls in the hands of a 24-year-old refugee. It is rumoured that the character Nader is a reflection of Chaker himself and each character is a reflection of someone that he knows. As Nader unawarely holds a key to Camilia's big secret, he looks for her on the fictional island, running into different characters that he shares his past with. Among the people he meets is Lia, an undercover police officer who becomes a focal character in the second story of the trilogy.

Confessions of a War Child (Lia)

thumb|Confessions of a War Child (Lia)

Inspired by the tragic events in Syria and his close work with refugees, Chaker released the second story of the trilogy on April 20, 2014. Confessions of a War Child (Lia) was featured on several media platforms upon release such as The Huffington Post with HuffPost Live, hosted by Ahmed Shihab-Eldin. The novel was published by La Rayan Publishing, a company owned by Lebanese-Canadian businesswoman Laila Maiden. A summary of the book is posted on Chaker's website: After taking his own life, the merciless President of Kabar observes from the World of the Dead the chaos of his final act of revenge on his people. A letter given to his former prisoner, his beloved Lia, remains the last hope for his nation's survival. Will the devastating chemical attack he woefully planned against his own people happen, or will they be saved at the last minute?

Mike Finnerty of the CBC Radio One stated that "Chaker Khazaal writes, with exquisite simplicity, fables which capture perfectly this moment of rapid change in the Arab and Western world. Confessions of a War Child – Lia is a page-turner both brutal and beautiful where love scores few clean victories but by God it puts up a fight.”

Awards

thumb|Chaker Khazaal accepting the Saint Lazarus Award

• Global Leader of Tomorrow Award from York University: Granted to four candidates a year, Chaker was selected for the Global Leader of Tomorrow Award in 2005-2009 and won $42,000 for his education.
• Award of Innovation from the Order of Saint Lazarus. Ambassador Princess Karen Cantrell nominated Chaker Khazaal for this award that he won in California in September 2013 for his Confessions of a War Child (Part One) novel. He accepted the award with a message on the importance of social media in bringing nations together.

External links

• Official Web site

DEFAULTSORT:Khazaal, Chaker Category:Palestinian writers Category:Canadian writers Category:1987 births Category:Living people

Werldwayd/Articles-Test51

شاكر خزعل (بالإنجليزية Chaker Khazaal) مؤلف فلسطيني كندي مولود في لبنان في 28 سبتمبر / أيلول 1987 وناشط في شبكات التواصل الإجتماعي عن حقوق اللاجئين ونشاطات الإغاثة العامة. ألف ثلاثية قصصية بعنوان "إعترافات طفل حرب" (بالإنجليزية Confessions of a War Child) أصدر منه "إعترافات طفل حرب (القسم الأول)" في مارس / آذار 2013، و"إعترافات طفل حرب - ليا" في ابريل 2014

ولد شاكر خزعل في مخيم برج البراجنة للاجئين الفلسطينيين في الضواحي الجنوبية من بيروت، لبنان. هو ابن المخرج الفلسطيني محمود خزعل، والناشطة الفلسطينية الإجتماعية أولفات محمود، وأكبر أخوته الثلاثة فايز، وهادي وهاني خزعل. وبدأ بأدوار مسرحية عدة في لبنان منذ صغره، كما ظهر في الفيلم الفلسطيني "سكر يافا" للمخرج هشام كايد.

انتقل الى كندا للتعلم في جامعة يورك في تورونتو، أونتاريو وتخرّج عام 2009 لينضم الى منظمة Nations United حيث أصبح ناطقا بحقوق اللاجئين، وقدم بالشراكة برنامج Faces of Transformation عبر الويب.

ترك المنظمة عام 2013 ليكرّس وقته للكتابة، كما ظل ناشطا في حقوق اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في لبنان، ودافع عن حقوق اللاجئين السوريين وغيرهم. حاز على عدة جوائز منها جائزة قادة الغد من جامعة يورك، ومنحة لتكملة علومه في الجامعة، وجائزة الإبتكار من Order of Saint Lazarus عن كتابه "إعترافات طفل حرب (القسم الأول)"، وجاء في لائحة أهم 250 شخصية شرق أوسطية ذو تأثير في التواصل الإجتماعين وكان له إطلالات إعلامية منها الإذاعة الكندية وهفنغتون بوست والصحافة العربية.

وصلات خارجية

• الموقع الرسمي لسلسلة كتب إعترافات طفل حرب