Zahia Arafa

Zaheya, in September 2023

My name is Zahia Arafa .

I am 20 years old. I am Palestinian and I was born in Gaza. When I say Gaza, this means determination, strength and patience. I will talk about myself briefly.

Since childhood, I had many dreams, including acting in plays to convey the Palestinian message and I succeeded. I participated in the hands up project. I participated in several plays, including The Screen, which won the admiration of many people.

We also participated in many meetings with people from different countries That was the first step in changing my personality. For example, I began to communicate effectively with others in  English language. I became more confident.

After that, I participated in the first competition in the hands up project. I participated in a competition that opened the way to many doors for me, and we won first place. This competition was at the national level. The name of the play is Inner thoughts.

It’s iabout a girl who is very unsatisfied with her life. The girl keeps on complaining, comparing herself to other girls and hoping to be like someone else. During the play she realises that she shouldn't judge others by appearances, and that everyone is dealing with their own problems.

I will never forget that moment when I knew I got first place. and when I traveled to Britain and the West Bank and that moment when I met the people we were communicating online with and that moment when I acted in the Royal Theater and the Freedom Theater.

These moments I will never forget and will remain in my memory forever .

That experience gave me confidence, strength, love of participation, and optimism. Five years have passed since those events. I graduated from high school, from the science section, with a grade of 88%. My dream was to study human medicine, but the economic conditions in Gaza did not allow me to do so.

I currently have a diploma in emergency nursing. But my dream of studying human medicine still has not been fulfilled. I am currently waiting for a scholarship to study human medicine in foreign universities. I don't know if I will survive due to the wars in Gaza but that experience taught me that nothing is impossible and I have hope that it will happen one day.

Zayeya in 2017. Click to watch her winning play , ‘Inner thoughts’