ThoughtGallery.org > Guantánamo Kid with Laurie Anderson and Jérôme Tubiana

Guantánamo Kid with Laurie Anderson and Jérôme Tubiana

Mohammed El-Gharani was no more than 14 when he left his native country, Saudi Arabia, to study English in Pakistan. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he was arrested and transferred to Guantánamo Bay. He was one of the camp’s youngest prisoners, and one of the few black detainees of African descent. It took eight years for his innocence to be recognised.

In 2015, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson collaborated with Mohammed El-Gharani on an installation and performance piece, “Habeas Corpus”, which took place at the Park Avenue Armory. Expanding upon her work fusing storytelling and technology, the project interweaved film, sculpture, music, and video to examine El-Gharani’s story. The result was a groundbreaking work that explored themes of lost identity, memory, and the resilience of the human body and spirit.

French writer Jérôme Tubiana first met Mohammed El-Gharani in 2011, two years after his release from the Guantánamo. They met every afternoon for two weeks, after which Tubiana turned their conversations into a diary piece for the London Review of Books. Now, in collaboration with El-Gharani, he has written a graphic novel, Guantánamo Kid, which is illustrated by cartoonist Alexandre Franc and endorsed by Amnesty International.

Laurie Anderson and Jérôme Tubiana come together to discuss Mohammed El-Gharani’s astonishing–and deeply troubling–story.

In English. Free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary. Please note that seating is limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.











When: Fri., Sep. 20, 2019 at 6:30 pm
Where: Albertine
972 Fifth Ave.
332-228-2238
Price: Free
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Mohammed El-Gharani was no more than 14 when he left his native country, Saudi Arabia, to study English in Pakistan. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he was arrested and transferred to Guantánamo Bay. He was one of the camp’s youngest prisoners, and one of the few black detainees of African descent. It took eight years for his innocence to be recognised.

In 2015, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson collaborated with Mohammed El-Gharani on an installation and performance piece, “Habeas Corpus”, which took place at the Park Avenue Armory. Expanding upon her work fusing storytelling and technology, the project interweaved film, sculpture, music, and video to examine El-Gharani’s story. The result was a groundbreaking work that explored themes of lost identity, memory, and the resilience of the human body and spirit.

French writer Jérôme Tubiana first met Mohammed El-Gharani in 2011, two years after his release from the Guantánamo. They met every afternoon for two weeks, after which Tubiana turned their conversations into a diary piece for the London Review of Books. Now, in collaboration with El-Gharani, he has written a graphic novel, Guantánamo Kid, which is illustrated by cartoonist Alexandre Franc and endorsed by Amnesty International.

Laurie Anderson and Jérôme Tubiana come together to discuss Mohammed El-Gharani’s astonishing–and deeply troubling–story.

In English. Free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary. Please note that seating is limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Buy tickets/get more info now