FOUR YESES I NEVER REGRET
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the former faculty member shared with students ways in which she has empowered herself.
BY MUNA AL-ALULAs a filmmaker, photographer, visual storyteller, activist, educator, social media influencer, entrepreneur, and mother of twins, life for Ala Hamdan can feel like a juggling act. As the co-founder of a production company, At Films, and with over one million followers on Instagram,
Hamdan certainly appears like she has no trouble keeping those balls in the air. However, the former King’s Academy faculty member is the first to admit that she struggles just as much as the next person, be it with multi-tasking, self-doubt, or the challenges of being a public figure in the age of social media.
King’s Academy invited Hamdan back to school in March as one of
a series of guest speakers to mark International Women’s Day, to give students the opportunity to learn more about and hear from inspiring women in our community. In the spirit of Women’s Day, Hamdan spoke to students and faculty about how, as a woman in her field of work, there are four things she never regrets saying “yes” to.
Yes to opportunities, even if she is scared
“Women are more likely than men to not take opportunities because they think they are not ready,” said Hamdan. “But if everyone waited until they were 100% ready, they would never try anything!”
Hamdan — who has won awards for her films and photography — shared how, in 2014, she took on the challenge of creating a couple of short films for television, even though she did not have much experience producing for tv. They aren’t her best work, she admits, but she is glad she
TV daily throughout the month of Ramadan this year.
Yes to choosing her battles
With over one million followers on Instagram, Hamdan said there are many people who disagree with her online when she talks about issues such as women’s rights, Arab stereotypes and Islamophobia. “There are a lot of people who are just not happy seeing a woman, who wears the hijab, going on social media and talking about these issues,” she said, adding that social media is more critical of women in general. She realized that she needed
place. “I would rather have those discussions on bigger and better stages with audiences that want to help make the world a better place with me,” said Hamdan, who has spoken at UN Women’s WeRise event on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and joined UNFPA’s campaign #ThisIsNotNormal against genderbased violence.
Yes to breaking stereotypes
Despite the challenges associated with being so public on social media, Hamdan said it was important to her to use her large platform “to give a voice to the voiceless,” even when doing that is difficult. “I have the privilege of having a supportive family, a large platform, and an understanding of both Arab and western cultures,” she said. “If I have all this, why can’t I help bridge gaps in understanding?”
One of the ways she has done that is by co-creating and doing the photography for a book called Muslims of the World — a best seller on Amazon upon publication in 2018 — that involved traveling to 14 countries over the course of a year to meet and document the lives and stories of everyday Muslims to help combat misperceptions and stereotypes. She is also passionate about giving a voice to survivors of domestic violence and raising awareness about the issue through the creation of a video series in which women tell their stories.
Yes to being true to who she is
did them. “I try to challenge myself and take opportunities, even if I know I am not ready for them, because I know I am willing to work really hard, and to learn from that experience,” she said. She needed that experience, she explained, so that she could do better the next time. Never one to say no to a challenge, her next foray into television saw her present a live show on Roya
to choose her battles wisely, and not waste her energy trying to reason with random critics online.
“I ask myself three questions to decide how I want to spend my time and effort: Is this problem really important? Do I need to deal with it? Can my time be better spent elsewhere?”
When she decided to choose her battles, she found herself in a better
While it is tempting to try and follow all the trends on social media to quickly build a bigger following, Hamdan explained that for her, what was most successful was being true to who she is. “Don’t force yourself to do something that is not you,” she said. “I think about what I like, what causes I feel connected to, who I represent, why I am on social media. Those subjects might not make me trending, but I create content that represents me, that helps people — and that helps me grow slowly and steadily on social media.”
“Once you answer those questions for yourself,” Hamdan added, “you will find yourself making content, being creative, and furthering those causes.”