Mariam Awad is only 22 years old and comes from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. She has been living in the capital city of Romania for more than six months, as she is a student at the University of Bucharest. She is intensely preparing to study at the National University of Theatre and Cinematography „I.L. Caragiale”.
When you talk to Mariam, you discover a young woman with a fascinating story, a brave person who did not hesitate to leave her native places to fulfil her dream of showing the world that life must be lived beautifully, without wars, without discrimination, with love for all that is around us. What helps her convey her message is her art: Mariam is passionate about photography, but also about cinema and theatre.
Initially, the young woman from Palestine prepared in her high school years for enrolling to a college able to help her work in the field of environment or medicine. „However, it was not meant to be. I wanted to attend a college in Germany, but I couldn’t, so I studied interior design at Al-Aqsa University for a year”, says Mariam.
She was not attracted by this specialisation, so she changed her field of study and enrolled in the “Multimedia” section, which she finished with excellent results.
Through her work, she promotes women
This is how her love for photography was born, which she completed with the love for theatre and film.
In fact, Mariam was trained for a year at Theatre Day Productions. There she benefited from the support of international and local professionals, who helped her gain courage in approaching special topics in the films she makes.
Her first documentary tells the story of a girl who is a clown in Gaza. The topic, the daring approach, as well as the manner in which the message is conveyed brought local and international recognition to the young Palestinian woman and opened the way to new opportunities.
Meanwhile, it was from this story that a series of documentary films was initiated, in which she tells the stories of several middle-class Palestinian women working in different domains. The project was well received by the public, enjoying media coverage in both the Arab and the foreign press.
Her many participations in local artistic events have opened wide the doors for her to the world of international art. Following this set of documentary movies, Mariam made a short film that addresses the theme of love in Gaza. The film “Ibn Al-Jeeran” helped her become even more visible and increased her chances of studying abroad.
„My love for art and cinema is what made me leave my native country. Opportunities were scarce in my town”, Mariam told me. She speaks with a clear sense of sweetness about the place where she was born, that she considers the most beautiful place in the world, despite poverty and war, as it is inhabited by an authentic, friendly and loving people. But she had to leave this world in order to fulfil her destiny.
Bucharest helps her fulfil her dream
Due to her results, Mariam received a scholarship from the Romanian state and that’s how she arrived in Bucharest in October 2019.
The road from the airport to the city let her take a first glimpse on part of the Romanian capital city, and the posters on the streets she crossed convinced her that she had arrived in a city where she would be allowed to expresses herself freely through her art.
Even though she has only been in Romania for six months, Mariam has grabbed every opportunity to learn new things about her country of adoption. She visited many sights in Bucharest, and went to other places such as Cluj – Napoca, Sinaia or Constanța.
The young woman is fascinated by the French cinematographic art and confesses she realized that there are many common points between Romania and France. „At least as far as the art educational curriculum is concerned, there is an obvious similarity. For this reason, I expect to have many opportunities in Romania”, declares Mariam.
She never misses any opportunity to enjoy what Bucharest has to offer. She visits the city museums, art galleries and theatres. She likes to walk through the generous parks of the Romanian capital city and to admire the old statues and buildings. There are many places that make her think of Paris or Rome. She loves sports, so Herastrau Park offers her the opportunity to exercise whenever she feels like it.
She never misses any event that offers her the opportunity to discover the Romanian art.
In her leisure time, she watches Romanian films. Thus, she has the chance to discover the vision of our professionals, and also to learn Romanian.
She confesses she really wants to discover more about the influence of the Roman civilization on these territories, being fascinated by ancient history.
„Six months have been enough for me to make friends from different countries, people who are living in Bucharest. Romania is a special place, because it lies in Eastern Europe, and here people are much warmer than those in the West. The country is quieter”, says the Palestinian student.
Mariam is at the beginning of her career and is always looking for opportunities to help her develop as an artist. After completing her studies, if Bucharest offers her the opportunity, she is thinking about the possibility of settling in our country. Until then, she stays focused on her art and continues to discover her city of adoption step by step.
Author: Ștefania Enache
Photo: Corina Gheorghe
