Na‘îma Elmoussati, student about to graduate in Arabic language and literature
"I was born in Morocco, and moved at the age of ten together with my mother, brothers and sisters
through family reunification to my father in the Netherlands. I'm the first in my family
to go to a university, but after me also my sisters went to study. I don't know yet for sure what
kind of work I'm going to do, but I am interested in three orientations: working with old people
and youths, bringing people closer to each others both nationally and internationally, and working
on a new Netherlands where people see each others as fellow human beings. I have both the experience
and the knowledge to contribute to that. I live in Ede, and am just getting acquainted withRotterdam.
It is a very different environment here, well organised, a real city of action. I come to het Oude
Noorden for my side-job at ZiM; I'm interviewing Moroccan women of the first generation. I
got this job mainly because I speak both Arabic and Berber. But also the content of the job suits
me well. I'm engaged in voluntary work in and for women anyway. I'm involved in al-Nisa,
a foundation for Muslim women in the Netherlands. I'm also interested in arts and migration issues.
Both my studies and my personal background have played a role in the development of these interests,
and I hope that later in my work I can remain active in these fields."
Rotterdam, April MMVI,
lith print on transparent film.
(c) Samuli Schielke