Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother.
She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives and emotions about this world.
In these difficult times in human history, we need to bring the people of the world together.
And when we hear the voices of women, when we listen to real lives of women from other
countries, we connect our cultures without differences or stereotypes and we get inspired
by their stories to live a better life.
That's what this podcast is all about.
My guest today is Wishdan Abdel-Hakim.
Wishdan is a Moroccan girl living in Sidi Bin Nur city, and she is a student of the
Baccalaureate of Mathematics and Science in her first year.
Wishdan really enjoys reading, writing poetry, traveling, public speaking, and she works
in the field of children's right with UNICEF.
Wishdan was a participant in the Arab Reading Challenge since she was nine years old.
She participated also in public speaking contests in French and in English and won second place
in Morocco.
Wishdan how are you today?
Hello Aziz, thank you so much for inviting me.
I'm fine, I have a good vibes today, I have a great energy, so what about you?
I'm feeling happy and lucky to be alive, grateful to be part of this adventure we're living
all in, we call life, and very curious about you Wishdan, so I'll begin with this nice
first question, which is, if your friends, the people who know you best, could describe
you, could share what they think is your personality, what would they say about you?
So if my friends are going to describe me, I think that they are going to say I'm the
book's queen, because that's my nickname around my friends, and they are also, I think that
they are going to say that I'm emotional, that I'm kind, and that I support people around
me, so I think that this will be their answer.
Thank you, and it's interesting that you mention you're the book's queen, to understand you
even more, what is your favorite thing about books?
What fascinates you the most that really gives you that love for reading?
So about books is a little bit complicated, because when I was like very young, I didn't
like books at all, and I said like that they are boring, but after, when I started reading,
at first I started reading short stories, you know these short stories about princes
and etc, and I really liked them, so after I started reading about people who are suffering,
when I read these stories, I feel bad for them, and I feel disappointed, but you know,
I feel that I need to do something and to help people like those, like when I read a
book about the people who are suffering, I feel that it's my responsibility to help them,
and I also feel like my problems are not that big, because there are some people who are
having like many difficult problems, so that's it, and I also really enjoy reading, and not
exactly books that are stories, but I also enjoy reading books about philosophy, books
about science, and also books about self-development, they help me a lot to discover myself and
to discover the world.
That's really really fascinating, I love your eloquence and your communication abilities,
and to understand even more, you said when you read about people who are suffering, you
felt that you are compelled or that it's your responsibility to help them, so let's begin
from this.
Are you an empath?
Are you a girl who can feel everybody's emotions in a very strong way, and so maybe you cannot
even be a doctor because if you see blood, you feel it in your body or an operation or
any harm, and is this a skill that really motivates you to try to end the suffering
in the world?
Yes, yes, very interesting question.
The type of girls who are very very emotional, and I know that I need to reduce this thing,
but I can't see people suffering and say normal, I will start crying, and I will just feel
uncomfortable, and that's what makes me feel that it's my responsibility to help them,
and I really need to do something, I really need to move, because you know, helping people
and you know, we need to inspire the hopeless and to help the needy, because it's not just
the responsibility of the government, of an association, of a foundation, it's the responsibility
of every single member of the society, and I'm a member of the society, so when I see
a person suffering and I can't help him, why I would not?
Like, I really enjoy first, I really enjoy helping people and doing something good for
people, and I feel good, I feel satisfied when I know that I changed just a little thing
in someone's life, I always say it in my speech, helping one person will not change the world,
but it changed the world for one person.
I love that attitude and I agree so so much with everything you said, and to ask you,
you have done a lot of work in children's rights, what do you feel some of the suffering
of children, I don't know, in the world or in Morocco or in the Arab world, what is there
that you want to improve, what problems are you trying to solve?
So at first, I just want to say that helping children and saving their rights, I think
that it's the best way for a great society.
So I think in Morocco and in the Arab world, and I think that all over the world, there
are children suffering, there are children who lost their families when they were three
years old, four years old, or five years old, or even babies, and there are some children
who are suffering from violence at house or sexual exploitation or dropping out of school
and many other problems that will affect the society.
So I think that it's our responsibility to have them and to save their rights.
I think that the most important thing we need to focus on is the education of children,
to make sure that every child in every house all over the world has the ability to go to
school.
We need to make sure that every child can go to school without having problems, without
problems because it's his right.
And I think that if we save this right for children, we're really going to improve the
society and I think that it's the best way to improve the society because education is
the key of success and of improvement.
One hundred percent.
And this is really inspiring.
And I imagine there are girls who are listening and they think, I don't know, I don't feel
so confident, or maybe they watch too much social media and TikTok and see people who
are living perfect lives and photoshopped women and girls and they think, oh, I am so
small, I am insignificant, I cannot change the world even for one person.
So to you, what inspires your confidence?
What motivates you?
And what is your advice for other girls who want to be leaders and want to be motivated,
but they don't feel that confidence in order to become more confident?
I know that every girl or a lot of girls are following influencers on TikTok, on Instagram,
on Facebook, and they are seeing really great lives and that they are enjoying their lives.
But I just want to say that, in my opinion, I think that there is no one who is totally
enjoying his life.
There are ups and downs.
It's normal.
And also about the looks and everything, you know, the beauty is the beauty of the soul.
And I think, I'm sure, I'm really sure that every girl, so for every girl who is listening
now this podcast, I want to tell you that you are beautiful in your own way.
You don't need to make comparisons with other girls because you are beautiful in your own
way.
Just believe it.
And for a leader and how to be a leader girl and how to get inspired and how to get motivated,
I will tell you my story or how I can get inspired is when I told you that when I see
a person who is suffering and I said to myself, okay, I need to help him.
I really need to help him.
And I remember that just me, I will not change the world and I can't change the world, but
I say to myself that I can't stay like this.
I must do something about it and that I really need to move.
Even I know that I will not change the whole world, but I know that I'm doing something
that is great and that is useful.
So I just want to tell you girls that if we really want to change the world, we need to
start by ourselves to improve ourselves, to improve our skills, to improve our confidence
and to improve of ourselves and to explore this improvement to improve our societies.
So if you really enjoy doing something, just go for it and do it.
If it will not be bad for someone, just go for it and do it and just think that you have
your own personality and you can't change like 100% you can't change it, okay?
So please girls, focus on yourselves, improve of your skills and I'm sure that you're going
and we're all going to change even a little bit from this world.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I love that inspiring and inspirational message.
And I'm curious, what is the culture of Moroccan girls now in 2023 already?
Is it a traditional culture?
Is it more Arabic?
Is it more Berber?
Is it a cosmopolitan, a mix of French and American because of Hollywood and Asian because
of K-pop and anime or how are, if people don't have friends from Morocco, how would you describe
the general mindset and attitude of the younger generation of girls in Morocco and is this
something that inspired you even more to be active?
So at first I want to say that I really love my country and I really love the inspiring
women that are in Morocco.
We have a lot of hard worker girls in Morocco that got inspired by very, by too much cultures
like there are girls, I will talk about my friends.
I have, I know some girls who are interested about key drama and I know girls who are interested
about the Arab culture and I know some girls who are interested about the Islamic culture
and I know some girls who are interested about the French culture.
I know other girls who want to study in the UK and other of them want to live in the US
and many of them want to live in Dubai.
So girls in Morocco, as we can say that they are very inspiring.
Why?
Because when I, when I look at our mothers, at my mother and my friends' mothers, they
are very inspiring because I feel that they are strong and that they made a really great
job to educate their girls and to improve their societies or even to make delicious
food for their girls and to learn them how to be more independent, how to be more strong.
So I feel that our mothers and Moroccan mothers, all of them are inspiring because every mother
has her own story.
When I sit with my mother or with women in her age and they start talking about the culture,
the Moroccan culture and their stories, I feel so inspired because, you know, they are
so strong, they are inspiring and they are the most important thing is that they take
the risk to do anything for their sons.
I feel that they, they, they really get respected.
So when you, in Morocco, we have really inspiring girls who are really interested about many,
many topics and yes, there are some girls who are lost and they feel lost and everything,
but I think that the culture, the general culture in Morocco is that girls are saving
the Moroccan culture because it's really, really interesting and they are trying to
mix it with other cultures.
Like I met some girls who can like dress with a jalaba, if you know jalaba, they, they put
the jalaba on and they can put on it a jacket with a K-pop style or something like that.
They are very creative.
So that's it.
Thank you for sharing that.
That was really educational and informative.
And to understand even more, you love poetry.
What is it about poetry that you adore?
Is it the emotions and the experiences it evokes so that you imagine similar to before
you spoke about stories of princes and some things that are creative, some stories that
make you dream you're in another world, or is it the communication you want to learn
to express yourself poetically as much as possible to impact people?
Or what about poetry is what you find most interesting?
So poetry is my own way to express my feelings.
When I feel down, when I get depressed, when I, when I just have bad vibes and I have negative
energy, I just take my pen, a paper and start writing poetry about my feelings.
So I think that it's just my own way to express my feelings and especially in Arabic, because
I didn't tell you that before is that I really enjoy reading in Arabic because I feel that
it's a language that you can feel and it's a diverse language that you can feel.
And I really enjoy writing in Arabic more than English or French.
So it's just my own way to express my feelings.
Thank you.
And how do you know, I'm curious about your creative process, how do you know it is time
to write some poetry?
Do you feel some energy inside you, some vibes that need to be expressed?
Or is it when you have a difficult day full of emotions and you need to relax and empty
all those emotions?
Or is it when you read something wonderful and you want to create what that inspired
you of?
Or how is your creative process?
How do you know, yes, now I really need to write some poetry?
To be honest, I started writing poetry during the quarantine.
During the quarantine, I had moments of doubt.
So at this time I said to myself, I can't say like this and I must do something about
it.
I should leave something behind if I die, because I was scared of death.
When I heard people dying because of coronavirus, I really was scared of death.
So I said to myself that I need to leave something behind if I die.
And I started writing poetry and I started writing about the collaboration of Moroccan
people, because I felt optimistic when I saw the collaboration of Moroccan people.
I felt that they help each other.
And that's what makes me proud of belonging to this lovely country.
And it started to improve time by time.
I started after the quarantine, I started writing just about my feelings.
It's like journaling, but in a poetry way.
I started writing about my feelings, about how I feel, about everything, just everything.
When I see a cat in the street and I stay looking at it, when I come back at home, I
just take my pencil and start writing about that cat.
So that's it.
It's a little bit complicated, but that's it because, you know, I'm very emotional.
So yes.
Thank you.
That's really wonderful.
And to finish this, what is some thing or some lessons you have learned from the quarantine
that made your life better, that helped your mental health by you overcoming those difficult
times?
Maybe those can be good advice to other girls all over the world who want to be outside
their comfort zone, but they're a bit scared or they have some trouble that they are fighting
with mental health or anything that your words can inspire, help them and give them some
good advice.
So during the quarantine, I had my baddest days because I told you that I was scared
of death and of losing my family, but you know, I have learned a lot of things.
I have learned how to be more careful and how to protect myself and my family from not
just coronavirus, but from any other things.
So I feel that responsibility of protecting my family and my mental health wasn't that
good.
I felt down, I cried almost every single day, but I became stronger.
Yes, I became stronger.
No, you know, it was a hard time for all of us.
I know that 2020 was the hardest year for all of us around the world, but we have learned
a lot of things and I just want to tell the girls who are listening this podcast now that
you know, it's okay to not be okay that when you feel bad for something, that means that
you are a human because humans have feelings.
So that's it.
You are a human.
So that's why you feel sometimes good.
Sometimes you don't feel good.
And that's very, very normal.
So I just want you to explore that time for yourself and to spend some time with yourself
and to know who is you and what do you really want to do?
And what is your message that you want to transfer?
So that's it.
I just want to tell you that it's okay to not be okay.
It's okay to feel down, but I'm sure that you're going to be stronger, okay?
So if you are listening to this podcast now and you don't feel good, I just want to tell
you that there are so many girls who have passed very hard times and know they are stronger.
So you will be one of these girls.
You will become stronger.
You may need a day on bed.
You may need a rest, but I'm sure that you're going to become stronger.
Okay?
So that's it.
Thank you, Wijdan.
It was honestly my privilege and my honor to interview you, to include you in this project.
I wish you to keep going.
I wish you success in everything you desire.
And I wish all Moroccan girls and women all the best future, the best situation, and the
best life.
Thank you again.
Thank you, Aziz.
Thank you so much for this opportunity.
Thank you and see you soon.
