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Bisan Owda

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Bisan Owda
بيسان عودة
Born1997 or 1998 (age 25–26)[1]
OccupationFilmmaker
Known forDocumenting the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on social media

Bisan Owda (Arabic: بيسان عودة; born 1997 or 1998) is a Palestinian journalist, activist, and filmmaker.[1] She is best known for her social media videos documenting her experiences during the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.[2] She won a 2024 Peabody Award in the News category for her Al Jazeera Media Network show, "It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive."[3]

Early life

Owda grew up in Beit Hanoun.[4] She was interested in storytelling from a young age, as well as reading, basketball, and astronomy.[5]

Career

Owda has worked with the United Nations on gender equality as a member of UN Women's Youth Gender Innovation Agora Forum.[6] Owda has also worked with the European Union on climate change,[1][7] and is an EU Goodwill Ambassador.[5] Owda has produced a show, Hakawatia, which is aired by Roya TV.[6][5] She also presented educational Palestinian Arabic videos for the YouTube channel Easy Languages.[8] Owda works for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).[9][10]

During a May 2021 escalation in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Owda shared videos on Instagram with the goal of drawing international attention to conditions in Gaza.[11] During the Israel–Hamas war, which began in October 2023, Owda garnered attention for her semi-regular video and livestream updates on social media documenting Palestinian civilians' experiences. She became known for opening her videos with some variation of the phrase, "I'm still alive".[12] Her videos are mostly in English, though some are in Arabic.[13] As of 15 October, Owda had accumulated over 180,000 followers on Instagram.[1]

After the Israel Defense Forces told Gaza residents to evacuate in October 2023, Owda and her parents relocated from Beit Hanoun to Al-Shifa Hospital.[4] Her family's home and her office in Rimal were both bombed, destroying all of Owda's filming equipment.[4] From Al-Shifa Hospital, Owda documented everyday life on social media.[14] Owda witnessed the Al-Shifa ambulance airstrike on 3 November.[15] She was displaced from Al-Shifa Hospital after it was sieged in mid-November. She continued to report on these conditions as she experienced them.[16] By 20 November, she had 2 million followers, and by 5 December, she had accumulated over 3 million followers.[13] By May 2024, Owda had accumulated 4.1 million followers.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jon, Donnison (15 October 2023). "One week in Gaza: 'There are no safe places here'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  2. ^ Saab, Sheren Falah (29 November 2023). "'This Is Bisan. I'm Still Alive': The Gazans Reporting From the Ground on Social Media". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. ^ Pedersen, Erik (9 May 2024). "Peabody Award Winners Include 'The Bear', 'Last Of Us', 'Reservation Dogs' & 'Bluey'; Special Honor For 'Star Trek' Franchise". Deadline. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Paccalin, Claire (24 October 2023). "'Not sure I'm lucky to be alive': Gazans fear worse is to come as public health 'catastrophe' looms". France 24. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Bisan Owda". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "In the Words of Bisan Owda "Content Creation is an Effective Tool to Advance Gender Equality in Palestine"". UN Women – Palestine Country Office. 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  7. ^ "No Water No Life". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  8. ^ Easy Languages. "Which Country Do Palestinians Like the Most? – Easy Palestinian Arabic 3". Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Blanco, Patricia R. (3 November 2023). "Pregnant women in Gaza in dire straits with no food, water or anesthesia for Cesareans". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ Yee, Vivian (28 October 2023). "Israel Says Al Shifa Hospital Conceals Hamas Underground Command Centers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  11. ^ "'Are you still alive? Is there bombing around you?': These are the questions asked inside Gaza". ABC News. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Gaza journalists Motaz Azaiza, Bisan decry world apathy towards Israel's onslaught". The New Arab. 3 December 2023.
  13. ^ a b Arafat, Zaina (20 November 2023). "Witnessing Gaza Through My Instagram Feed". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  14. ^ Rémy, Jean-Philippe; Zerrouky, Madjid (6 November 2023). "Israeli army intensifies strikes on Gaza, plunging civilians into horror and hunger". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Red Crescent says 15 killed in strike on Gaza ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital". BBC News. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  16. ^ Price, Mikayla (11 November 2023). "Palestinian journalists forced to flee to southern Gaza, can't report on events in north". CBS News.
  17. ^ Malik, Asmaa; Fatah, Sonya (30 January 2024). "Attacks on Press Freedoms Have Chilling Effects Far beyond Gaza". The Walrus. Retrieved 10 June 2024.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bisan_Owda&oldid=1228314679"