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 Liza Bel Biatus. Bel is a Tanzanian girl studying psychology
in Işık University, Istanbul, Turkey. She is very passionate about fashion and modeling.
She has built her experience with fashion and photography as a model. Bel is great at baking
and has held a charity bake sale for an orphanage in Tanzania. She is a mental health advocate and
loves raising awareness on autism. Bel, how are you today? Hello. Hello. Hello. I'm happy to
be here, and I'm very excited. I love that this is a very amazing platform to share and
celebrate women's journey because at times it can get a bit hard, but when we're supported and
we're cherished and we're valued, it really lifts us up. I agree 100%. Thank you for the
words. I'm honored. I'm lucky to include you in this project, and I'll begin it with this
nice first question. Bel, if your friends and the people who know you best could describe
your personality, what would they say about you? Okay. My friends and the people who
really know me best will definitely say I'm very outgoing. I'm very free-spirited. I'm
I love about this is people always tell me that I find it very easy to be myself,
and that's what they would definitely say. Oh, I have so many questions about this.
Let's begin with this one. You feeling comfortable to be yourself? There are many people
who feel that is too vulnerable, especially women whom I think, look, if I put on a
mask and people criticize it, well, they're not criticizing the real me, so I don't care.
But if I'm being myself and people criticize, it will hurt and dig deep. So how do you get
the confidence or the ability or what do you believe about the world, people in general that
allows you to be yourself and not worry about it? Wow, that is an amazing, amazing question.
I feel like it really starts down with your foundation, like having a good foundation.
I'm not saying it's not possible if you don't have a good foundation, but personally me,
I had a mother who was very encouraging and growing up, even though it didn't really work,
like I would always doubt myself and I will always like, um, hide, like me,
basically in a shell and hide my personality, hide myself. But having a foundation, like having
a mother for me really set the tone. Like she would always reassure me, she would always tell
me, Hey, you're shy, you're amazing, you shine, you're, you're unique and you don't need to,
you don't need to set yourself low. You don't need to overthink it. And me personally,
I is not like, it's not a hard journey and I haven't made it yet, but I can say that
it's, it's getting easier. It's getting easier because once you just, you're okay with your
imperfections, once you're okay with the fact that I'm okay with the fact that I'm an overthinker,
I'm okay with the fact that I get anxious sometimes. And I will just, I will just
tell people, like if I'm around someone and something is making me anxious, like actually
right now, in the beginning, I was a bit anxious. It gets easier when you just let
the imperfections live through. I understand. And thank you so much for the answer. It's
very, very authentic. And therefore I want more. You said that you're also someone who is a
free-spirited kind of individual related to this, but not exactly is how do you get the
confidence to get out of your comfort zone? Especially that let's say you growing up in
How did you not care about some of the things that maybe family members might tell you? Like
what would people think about us? What will people say? Blah, blah, blah. Which makes most
women and people in general not live fully to their freedom and be themselves and do what they
want to do because they are somehow programmed to care what others think more than what they
absolutely correct. Like the two communities are very conservative, but it all comes down to,
I say just like letting go. Like letting go is the first step and trying something like
not being afraid of the outcome and not attaching yourself with the outcome. Like let's
say for me, modeling was a bit of an experience because once I started, it wasn't
planned. I just had a friend and he was like, Hey, I think you're perfect for this.
So we worked together and basically just not thinking too much about it and not being
afraid of the outcome. I would say is the first step to being, to be free-spirited.
And another thing is, I think it's pretty hard to explain, but basically just being okay,
being okay with the fact that sometimes things, they're just the way they are and
being unapologetically you, showing up unapologetically you. Like if you're at
a certain place and something is making you feel good, you feel like dancing, don't hold it
back. If you feel like laughing, don't hold it back. It's the small things, it's you
appreciating and just accepting your true, true self. And those little, little expressions,
they build up to bigger ways of like being free-spirited and just being
unapologetically yourself. Thank you. I love that very, very much.
And then I want to know more because you said that you're an over-thinker and sometimes you
had insecurities and you're still working on that. At the same time, you were involved
in modeling and you love it. First, why are you interested and in love with modeling?
And how do you believe, like what do you think about some people who say
modeling of course is great. At the same time, the Photoshop that you might see and the
unrealistic expectation of beauty might make women who don't conform to the
modeling standards feel that they're not beautiful, doubt themselves, etc. So what is
your perspective on this? How can you as a model feel that you're empowering beauty in this world
through your work and the perspective that other women can and should take in order to
experience it positively rather than use it as a way to compare themselves and doubt themselves?
That's amazing. First, I want to start by saying like modeling for me gives me a space for
creativity. I feel like it's very important for everyone to have a space for creativity
because it really builds up and like powers your spirit. So for some people that can be music,
that can be art and like I like what you're doing too is with the podcast and empowering
women. So modeling for me gives me that outlet for creativity and once I work on it,
once I spark my creativity, it builds me up and it gives me a safe space.
That's one thing I can say. Then another thing I can say is in some way it contradicts itself,
but in a crazy way, right? Modeling kind of makes me okay with my insecurities because
I have to put myself out there, right? I once did a makeup shoot and obviously you got to do
a before and after and I wouldn't say I have the most perfect skin, even though it's getting
better right now, but I have very sensitive skin and like doing like makeup shoots,
you have to put yourself out there. You have to basically be bare faced and you have to
just show your true skin. So that somehow, even though it makes me very anxious,
but that somehow just builds up my confidence because it's okay. Like at the end of the day,
you just find out that it's okay. And then on the unrealistic standards, I will agree,
yes, modeling, the modeling industry has set extreme unrealistic standards,
but at the same time, the world is changing and I've seen tremendous effort, which is
put on basically associating everyone and including everyone in the modeling industry.
These days we have the plus size modeling. We have every type of modeling. We have people
with severe, like I said, like the skin thing, the skin, people with imperfect skin basically,
people with albinos and we just have more including and more acceptance. And literally
just a few weeks ago, Vogue just put up an open call casting for anyone all over the world.
And I think I would love to share that too. So if anyone is thinking of modeling and like
trying it out, that's amazing because they are looking for a new generation, new ideas.
So efforts are being made and me personally, one way I can be supportive of the effort
is just being genuine with my experience and obviously not setting the unrealistic standards.
Thank you. You are welcome. Thank you so much for the eloquence and I appreciate your answer
and to know you even more. How was your life growing up in Tanzania and how would you
have Tanzanian friends? How is it? How is it different from other African countries a little
bit? And tell us more so that people can know what to expect and to imagine how it would be
to live and to visit Tanzania. Well, I'm smiling as I answer this because one thing
I really love is just basically sharing my country and all the great things it has to
offer. I can say one thing is that Tanzania is unity personified. We live with a unified
harmony. We are a community. We are very welcoming. We're very warm. And one thing
we can brag about is that we are a very peaceful nation to the point that sometimes
it's almost like crazy. When anything small happens, it doesn't really get to a severe
level. And then another thing I can say is that people are very welcoming. If you walk
in the streets of Dar es Salaam today, people will just embrace you. They'll embrace you.
They'll welcome you and you will feel that welcoming spirit. On terms of the environment,
it's an amazing country. There is a little bit of everything. There is safaris where you can see
wild animals. There is the beautiful beaches, beautiful ocean because we have the Indian
Ocean. We have the island. We have Zanzibar. We have the highest mountain in Africa. It's the
mountain Kilimanjaro. So you see how we get like a little bit of everything in Tanzania.
So that's amazing. Thank you. That sounds absolutely great and a place that would be
worth visiting and people who are kind and good people. And to know you even more now
that you're living in Turkey, how is your daily routine? How do you find the time to take care of
your mental health and you're someone who is an advocate for it as well as study? And at
university, you have a lot of studies and develop your modeling career and have time
to spend with friends. How do you organize your day, your week to have balance? And what
do you do in order to keep yourself strong, emotionally healthy, physically healthy,
and take care of your education? That is amazing. So I will start with how I balance out the
modeling and my studies. Basically, if I'm approaching my exams like right now
and towards the final end of the semester, I will basically, I won't really turn, I wouldn't
education because I'm closer to my exams. So it will take me more time to study and prepare.
But if it's at the beginning of the semester, then I'm definitely more open to modeling
opportunities and modeling gigs. But when I'm on a break, that's when I go all the way. Like
I will seek out opportunities and do that. My daily routine includes me. I basically wake up
and I will meditate first. There is an amazing podcast I love to listen to. It just makes my
spirit calm. It gives me a set, a start for the day. And I pray too. And I prefer working out
in the morning. I feel like once you take care of your physical space, it just all perfectly
aligns. Like your mental health will be better because you are taking care of your body.
And I work out in the morning at 7.30 to 8.15. And then I come back, I start my day. I basically
start my day. I have some classes I have to attend to. And that sets the tone. In the
evening, I'll just chill with my friends, find something cute, creative, fun to do.
And on the weekends, like this weekend, if I can hang out, I will. But me keeping to myself
actually helps me. It's like I will be around people. I will go out. I will have fun. But
I need a balance. I will need to recharge and I will need some time to my solitude. And I
really love that. And then on Sundays, I have a Bible study group with my friends.
And we basically do that. So that basically I believe in keeping my body, my mental health,
and my spiritual life aligned for having the perfect balance.
Thank you. Thank you. That sounds absolutely great. And now I'm wondering how was adapting
to the Turkish culture? It's pretty different to Africa and to Tanzania. Why did you choose
Turkey rather than a place that will have shared language with Tanzania, where English
maybe is more commonplace and any culture shock or things you needed to adapt to in
Istanbul? Wow, that is actually a good question because adapting here definitely wasn't easy
because like in Tanzania, we have a sense of community and we like togetherness. But
here it's like it's very individualism like communities and people just like to do things
on their own. And I wouldn't say they're not warm. They're very loving, very welcoming,
too. I like that about them. But one of the culture shocks is the fact that I did not
expect for the language barrier to be insane. Like I thought maybe just because I'm in
Istanbul, then the language barrier won't be that big. But they're very and I love that
actually. I love the fact that they own their language and they value it. It
says a lot about a nation. But that was one thing that I was shocked about because I did not
expect it to be on a higher scale. And then another thing is that Turkish people, they love
to stare. Like when you're walking, they will stare at you a lot. And it's not just because
you're from a different community. They will just stare. Even I have Pakistani friends, I have
other friends, and they just have a thing for staring. And that caught me off guard.
It caught me very off guard in the beginning, but now I just know that's just how they are.
They just like to look something different and they will just look. And other than that,
I love being like in the center of Istanbul. It's very nice. Like there's a night where we
went out for a movie with my friends. And while we were there, there was like a group of men
dancing. And they just basically told us to dance with them and they have that thing a lot.
All my friends have an experience of dancing with a group of men. A group of men in a circle
in Istanbul. And that's amazing. Other than that, there hasn't really been major culture
shocks. But it's just like those things you learn and you're like, oh yeah,
I've adapted quite well. I love that. And now a question that I don't know how you'll
say that Tanzania has some of the best, most delicious food in Africa. And some would argue
in the world. Other people love Turkish food and it's famous for being tasty, whether it's
shawarma or whatever else that they would eat. What is your real experience and opinion?
Not because you're Tanzanian, but does Tanzania win the food wars if there was one between
Turkey and your country? Or it's totally different so you cannot compare? Or now that
you're living in Turkey, you're like Turkish food is the best and I love the new textures
and flavors. Can you share more as well as whether you agree with me or with people or not
that Tanzania has some of the tastiest food you can ever find?
Yes. Well, yeah, the crown, the crown definitely goes to Tanzania. The food is tastier. We just,
we do better with our spices. I feel like Turkish people, they don't really, they don't
really add flavor to their food. Like their food is a bit blunt and we take the crown and we
win because Tanzanian food is amazing. You need, if anyone is listening and would love to
try, definitely try Swahili food. That is amazing food. But yeah.
Thank you. And to know even more, you spoke about your Pakistani friend, etc. How is it
to move to a new country in order, like you said, you have a sense of community back home,
probably have friends for many, many years. How is it to make new friends or to have to
friends in a new country where you don't know anyone? And what is your advice to maybe women
who are going to live in a new city, a new country, or go to their university
so that they will find the right people and not feel alone and lonely away from their families?
The first step to making friends I would say is just approaching. Like don't be scared to
approach someone you think, oh, I think I might go well with that person. I like the way they
carry themselves. I like their personality. Don't be afraid to approach them. And it doesn't
always have to be them walking up to you. And it's, it really doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter who goes to first, but I would say the first advice is that. And that has helped me.
Like it's come in handy. I have friends like I click with, I go with, we just have,
we find the same things interesting. And my Pakistani, most of my friends are Pakistani,
but I have a lot of other friends too. I have friends from Morocco. I have friends from Zambia,
from Zimbabwe, Nigeria. And it's just, it's amazing. It's amazing to learn a little bit
of everything from people. I love that. I love the fact that when you make friends,
it's just a learning experience. It's just a new experience. And what I can say is don't be
shy. Like if you find someone and you really admire them, you like them, you think you guys
would go well together. Just approach them. Approaching is the best advice I can give.
And yeah, just be more, be more free. Just be you and you will find your people.
That sounds great. Thank you, Bel. And you are someone who is raising awareness on autism.
Can you share how did this mission start in your life? What caused you to begin caring more than
other people about mental health and autism? And what are some things you'd like to share
with the audience so that you raise awareness about autism? Okay. So I'm born in a family
of three. It's my brother, me and my little sister. And my little sister is diagnosed with
autism. She's very young. She is nine years old. And that is the main, main, I would say,
influence behind me being so passionate about autism. Because with autism, you don't really know
what it is because the stages of development in a child are delayed. And you're just left there
wondering like, okay, what is going on? And with people who don't really have the awareness
to what it is, it gets tricky, you know, it gets tricky. And sometimes they might end up
punishing the people for what they're not really able to control. So it gets easier. Like
there's a saying that you fear what you don't know. So once you know something, once you
get to learn it, once you get the awareness, which I am working on, I'm trying to raise
like a little bit of more awareness. I'm trying to start a project that will,
how should I say this, like support inclusive education, trying to do that with my mom in
Tanzania in summer, I will complete it. And basically, back to what I said, you fear what
you don't know. So once you know something, once you learn something, it gets easier to
manage, it gets easier to just handle it. And in my class, in my psychology class,
there is an autistic kid. And he does quite well. He does amazing. He does amazing. And
nonverbal. And I love the fact that he's able to make it and he's just doing amazing.
It really sets the tone and it changes the perspective on how autism is. Because
people think once you have a disability, then it will stop you from certain things. But
changing that perspective really is the key to just empowering people who are going
through mental illnesses. Thank you. And it's very important and I'm very proud of you and
happy that you're speaking about this very important topic. Another important topic is
something that I believe you can inspire women with. What would you say to women who maybe
could not find their confidence or they feel stuck in their comfort zone or they worry
about the judgment of society so they're not living their potential and following their big
dreams? Do you have any advice, any motivation, any practical exercises, whatever it is that can
help them move forward so that those women will not let time pass and their song and their
music and their dreams stay just inside their brains and their imagination and their heart?
I would say as much as it's important to keep a positive circle, positive people around you can
empower you, it is more important for you to validate yourself before needing that validation
from anyone or anything. You need to start validating yourself and doing that, doing
that with your actions is loving yourself. Taking the smallest things and just making
time for yourself, taking care of yourself, taking care. It can mean different to different
people, maybe taking care of your mind can be you reading a book, taking care of your mind maybe
can be you going on a walk. It means different to different people, but I can say find the things
that make you feel empowered. When you do them for yourself, they will make you feel empowered.
For me, that is working out, that is going out with my creativity, working on it,
and it really empowers your sense of self and your sense of individualism.
So once you're able to accept yourself and validate yourself with the things you do with
your actions, it changes your mindset, it changes you and it will reflect with confidence,
it will reflect with you just being quite confident in yourself and trusting yourself.
Thank you so much, Belle. It was my privilege and my honor to have you here to share your
experience. I wish you all the success with the beauty and the modeling jobs and patience and
things that you will apply to during the castings with your education and thank you
for representing Tanzania so well. Thank you so much Aziz. It was lovely being here. This
is a beautiful space and I think definitely people should know more about it and I would
keep doing what you're doing. Love to see it. Thank you so much for having me.
It's an absolute honor. Thank you. You are welcome.
