we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Tamam Abusalama

    Tamam is a Palestinian blogger and journalism student pursuing her master's degree in communication studies with a focus on new media and society at Vrije University in Brussels. She was born and raised in the Gaza sSrip, but she’s originally from Beit Jirja, Palestine. 

    Tamam's passions include yoga, being in nature and fighting patriarchy in all forms!

    my work

    I have found freedom abroad, but am fated to be an exile forever.
    Imagine your parents posting a picture, saying, "We’re going to protest. We never know what may happen to us."
    It is a pity that after 70 years of oppression of Palestinians, so many people still have no real knowledge about it.
    I have been away from home for five years; I wanted to be a part of my brother’s wedding preparations. Why do I instead have to settle for videos that relatives took?
    I feel a responsibility for these displaced people. After all, Palestinians have been displaced from our own ancestral lands for more than 60 years. Their trauma is our trauma.
    “Do my duty,” to a Palestinian, means resisting the oppression of the Israeli regime in whatever way necessary.
    I know I am lucky to have found my way to Turkey, but inside I am still a little girl who misses her parents.