Stories For a Brighter Tomorrow

This November, we’re celebrating the impact of stories, literacy, and Asmaa al-Rashed and the project Jannah Jannah produced by a group of talented Syrian artists.

Spreading Hope

Asmaa Al-Rashed was born in southwestern Syria, and stopped receiving formal education when she married at the age of 14. She fled Syria in 2012 for the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan with her husband and two eldest daughters.? ?

After two years of depression and losing hope and passion and seeking a safe place away from the bombing and destruction, Asmaa began to uplift herself and her family, while also supporting her local community by reading stories to children, becoming an ambassador for the We Love Reading initiative.

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Find out more about Asmaa’s motivating journey and what keeps? her going by reading the full interview “Asmaa al-Rashed – Storyteller” here.

Qisetna is honoured to share Asmaa’s empowering message of hope and encourages those who are inspired by it to attend the?The Neighborhood Storyteller screening and live Q&A with Asmaa on Friday the 29th of November at Kensington Central Library, get free tickets here and find out more about We Love Reading?online training?and how to become?ambassadors.?

Celebrating Qisetna's Volunteers:

Spotlight on the young and talented Nesreen Yousfi, one of our most driven writers.

Nesreen graduated with a degree in International Relations in 2023. Since then, she has been working to become a journalist specialising in MENA, solutions journalism, and international affairs. She joined Qisetna as a content writer, eager to contribute to its inspiring mission and grow in her writing and interviewing skills along the way.?

Nesreen began her journalism journey a year ago by launching her personal blog Literati & Co., to share book reviews. 'Literati' means a person who loves to read. She added the '& Co.' to show that this blog is about more than just books. It is also a place where she shares commentary on current affairs in the news or social media, as well as music recommendations that tie in with a book's themes.

Nesreen is planning to use this space to publish her poetry soon, so check out Literati & Co. and stay tuned.

Jannah Jannah

Supported by Creative Scotland , Jannah Jannah is a creative collaboration between the Korean composer and sound artist Suk-Jun Kim and the Syrian artists including Sara Khayat, Mohammad Orwani and ILLADIB (Adib Habbal).

Jannah Jannah is a two-part podcast project that combines stories gathered from the displaced Syrian communities in Istanbul, Turkey, with music and visual arts.

?Jannah Jannah it’s not necessarily a perfect place, but where you feel a sense of belonging and happiness with the people or environment around you. Sara Khayat

?The project aims to tap into the memories and dreams of the Syrians displaced in Türkiye whose life has become ever more precarious due to the increasingly hostile environment towards Syrians in that country.

This project builds on a multi-year project titled Syrian Humming Project through which Suk-Jun Kim (Jun) has collaborated with Mohammad, Adib, and Sara since 2019.