Series Classification: G (General Audiences)
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Shaymaa Arif
Shaymaa is a young Syrian-Iraqi woman from Kirikiriroa and Tāmaki Makaurau, now living in Pōneke. She admires the sacrifices her parents made: her mother for making the journey to Aotearoa alone with her four (at the time) young children, and her father for staying behind in the UAE to work as a doctor and continue supporting the whānau.
Shaymaa Arif on the riverside of the Waikato. Photo: Photography by Disorient Pictures Ltd
Shaymaa studied law at the University of Waikato. She specialised in human rights law due to her passion for the protection of al people, which stemmed from the conflicts in both her fatherland and motherland. Since then, she has volunteered overseas on Lesbos Island during the refugee crisis to support her community, and began practising as a refugee and human rights lawyer in Auckland, representing asylum-seekers during their refugee determination process.
When the tragic 15 March attacks occurred, Shaymaa, like most of her community, did what she could to support. She has since been involved in the Muslim reference group for the Royal Commission Inquiry on the Christchurch attacks, and is now serving as a human rights advisor for the Human Rights Commission in Wellington. Shaymaa has a big passion for learning languages and other cultures, and is currently teaching herself Japanese and te reo Māori.
"I love hearing different languages. Right now, I'm addicted to watching foreign dramas. I love seeing different faces to the usual Hollywood ones. I like hearing them speak their own native language."
A self-confessed nerd, Shaymaa loves learning and spends her weekends researching and binge-watching documentaries -- even about things unrelated to her. She is an outspoken activist, coming from a line of strong and resilient humans, including her uncle, who was unlawfully arrested and detained in Syria last year.
She says, as a child, she saw images of war and destruction coming from Palestine.
"I really wanted to go out there and protest, and then, sadly, when the war in Syria started, I did."
Shaymaa founded the NGO Dar Al Salam (House of Peace/Te Whare Rangimarie), which is as much about ethnic rangatahi in Aotearoa embracing their identities and culture as it is about advocacy to live in a more peaceful and understanding New Zealand.
Shaymaa wearing her TribalRoots tee shirt on the riverside of the Waikato. Photo: Photography by Disorient Pictures Ltd
Left to right: Shaymaa Arif, Director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh, Director of Photography Kelly Chen, 1st Assistant Camera Nahyeon Lee on a jetty on the Waikato riverside. Photo: Photography by Disorient Pictures Ltd
Shaymaa - This Is Us | Photography by Disorient Pictures Ltd
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Ghazaleh Golbakhsh, Director Photo: Photography by Sascha Stejko
Series director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh is an Iranian-New Zealand writer, filmmaker, and Fulbright scholar who has recently completed her PhD in Media and Communications.
She has written and directed award-winning short films. Ghazaleh is currently developing her first feature screenplay and publishing her first book of personal essays.
| Twitter: @baronessghaz | Instagram: @ghazalehgol |
Photo: RNZ/NZ On Air
