Interview with Sarah by LS ’21.
Sarah is a 22-year-old journalist and filmmaker from Jenin, Palestine. She is extremely close with her family, often traveling long hours to visit her 2 younger brothers, mother, and father. Sarah studied TV and radio broadcasting at An-Najah University and currently works for a web journalism organization called Dooz. It is clear that Sarah is extremely passionate about her work in journalism and filmmaking, as evident through her in-depth dialogues regarding her affinity for authentic, untainted access and spread of news throughout her city of Jenin. Sarah hopes to obtain her postgraduate degree in England sometime in the near future. For now, Sarah remains adamant in pursuing her work to raise the voices of the Palestinian people through journalism and media.
Transcript:
SAA: So, I’m working in a local journalism website. It’s the first local journalism website in Palestine called “Dooz.” Dooz means in Arabic, it means straightforward–straightforward with the news. Our main goal is to connect people with the officials and the government. We’re trying to make a bridge between the citizens and the officials because there’s nothing that can represent citizens if there’s no parliament.
LS: Is there more that you can tell me about yourself?
SAA: Yeah. So, I grew up in the city of Jenin. I belonged to a village or actually a town called Qabotiya. It’s a very conservative city. It’s actually the situation here in all of Palestine. You’re lucky if you’re living in such a family–if you’re living in a family such like my family. I think I’m a lucky one.
LS: So, do you think that the occupation has affected your family in any way?
SAA: Sure, it’s really affected our lives–it’s affected everything. We don’t know what will happen if you move from somewhere to another. We don’t actually expect who is leaving or who is arriving. It’s not really easy and you always have a lot of expectations and a lot of thoughts. I sometimes think that we just ignore and forget that there’s an occupation – but everytime we face it in the walls, in the streets, even in the markets. It’s always there.
LS: Why don’t the two just become independent states?
SAA: There’s a history. Palestinian people were living in that area of Palestine and they were exiled, and now there’s Israel in this area so they think that they have the right of living in that area and they should stay there and they were not allowed to live freely in their land. But the people who are with the two-state solution are thinking of moving forward and forgetting the history, and also to think about our future because we can’t just keep fighting, the ways they’re behaving. They have just two opinions.
LS: Sarah, thank you so much.
SAA: I just want to thank you for trying to make this connection between Palestine and the world. I really respect that. I really believe in the youth and it’s good that you are in university and that your professor actually told you to do this and it’s a good thing. They’re trying to make a change from you, from people who are growing and will hold this message. I’m really respectful for this.
https://soundcloud.com/nancy-kalow/sarahalrobhindfinal
