The heart-rending story of Abbas Nazari is one of escaping the Taliban to growing up behind bars in a contentious Australian offshore immigration detention centre, to eventually finding his freedom in New Zealand.

Once adrift at sea on a sinking boat, Abbas was rescued from certain death by the Tampa, before being caught up in international political scandal after Australia refused the asylum seekers entry.

The moment and subsequent detention of those rescued would become global news fodder. 

Now at home in Aotearoa, Abbas grew up to become a Fulbright scholar, highlighting the plight and potential of refugees everywhere.

His book, After The Tampa, has been published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Tampa affair.

When the Taliban were at the height of their power in 2001, Abbas Nazari's parents were faced with a choice: stay and face persecution in their homeland, or seek security for their

young children elsewhere. 

The family's desperate search for safety took them on a harrowing journey from the mountains of Afghanistan to a small fishing boat in the Indian Ocean, crammed with more than 400 other asylum seekers.

When their boat started to sink, they were mercifully saved by a cargo ship, the Tampa.

However, one of the largest maritime rescues in modern history quickly turned into an international stand-off, as Australia closed its doors to these asylum seekers.

The Tampa had waded into the middle of Australia's national election, sparking their hardline

policy of offshore detention. 

While many of those rescued by the Tampa were the first inmates sent to the island of Nauru, Abbas and his family were some of the lucky few to eventually be resettled in New Zealand.

Twenty years after the Tampa affair, Abbas tells his extraordinary story, from living under Taliban rule, to spending a terrifying month at sea, to building a new life at the bottom of the

world. 

A powerful and inspiring story for our times, After the Tampa celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope.

Hear Abbas’s story in person at Desert Heart Wines this Friday October 29 at 6pm (for a 6.30pm Start)

Tickets from Eventfinda or from Paper Plus.