Arozak Salam in-conversation with Shanje Liu

When Arozak Salam is presented with a rare opportunity to move from Indonesia to Australia, he makes a radical decision: leave everything behind and search for his true identity in a new country. From day one, Arozak is in survival mode as a loner immigrant struggling to find a home, job, and friends while wishing for love in a foreign land.

I Am That Unicorn depicts the mixture of Western and Eastern cultures from an immigrant’s perspective. It’s the tale of a proud gay man from a conservative Muslim family, a subsea engineer by day and a unicorn burlesque performer by night. It’s a journey of self-discovery spanning from the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program to ConFest – the largest hippy festival in Australia, the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, the Mr Gay World pageant in Rome, a regional Burning Man in Western Australia, all the way to kinky clubs in Berlin and the inevitable Grindr debauchery. This book is a celebration of contrasts and life’s full spectrum.

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Arozak Salam is an immigrant from Indonesia who previously lived in Jakarta, Barcelona and London. He is an aspiring writer, as well as a subsea engineer, burlesque performer, singer, LGBTQIA+ activist, alumni of the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and former Australian Navy officer who graduated from the Royal Australian Naval College (New Entry Officers’ Course 66).

Shanje Liu is a member of SocialisAsians (Asian Gay Men and Allies Group based in Sydney).