In Focus: Mahida Al Sulimani from Oman

Mahida Al Sulimani hosts the morning show at the Arab language station, Wisal FM. Together with women journalists from Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates she developed strategies for better anchoring women's topics in the media. The workshop provided a cross-border platform for exchanging personal experiences.

What motivated you to take part in the workshop?

I’m very interested in women's role in the Arab media, and especially in how women are portrayed. There are very few workshops like this one.

Why do we need to look at the topic?

For me it's important to explain – especially to female colleagues – that there are still no strategies on how to portray women in the Arab media, and that we need to develop one.

How did your colleagues feel about you attending the workshop?

They were very encouraging and helped me to apply and prepare.

Workshop participant, Mahida Al Sulimani

There are three women and seven men working in our office. My female colleagues would have liked to be here as well, and that’s why it's so important to share what I've learned when I get back. We need to introduce changes in the media - especially here in Oman.

To what extent will you be able to apply what you've learned here?

Every year we have opportunities to work on how women are portrayed in the media and new and different ways to do this. We have to plan from year to year, each time looking at the most pressing problems.

What appealed to you most about the workshop?

I really liked DW Akademie's German and European approach, as well as the mix of participants with their different origins and backgrounds. This resulted in a wonderful "cocktail".