'Taht El Saytara' Starlet Jamila Awad to Lead an Awareness Event at AUC

Taht El Saytara’s rising star Jamila Awad and the TV series’ screenwriter Mariam Naoum will lead an awareness raising event on addictions, organised by the Cairo International Model Arab League (CIMAL). Kicking off on Sunday November 8^th at 6PM, the talk entitled The Message will be held at the American University in Cairo’s new campus in Kattameya, where CIMAL seats.

“I was really moved when I watched Taht El Saytara during Ramadan; it got me thinking about the fact that addiction is not only drug addiction; it goes beyond that! One can get addicted to an object, a person, drugs or even an idea. So I thought: why not raise awareness about that issue?” says Omar Oraby, head of the Awareness Development Programme at CIMAL.

“I thought about inviting the cast and the screenwriter Mariam Naoum to talk about the messages that the series was tackling, as people will come and listen since the series was very successful and still trending now,” he explains.

“One of many reasons why I’m fond of my job is that I’m no fan of direct messages. However, in universities, which are places of bright future, sending a direct message is the way, you know!” Jamila Awad tells Cairoscene. “So it is important to raise awareness about issues that put humanity in danger, be it drug addiction as much as war or hate,” she adds.

“Drug addiction is widely spread among university students, but why? There are a lot of answers to this question, which the series addressed accurately,” says Oraby. “And Jamila Awad is a very talented actress who really did make everyone fall in love with her, given that her character was not supposed to be loved in the series, so I thought of combining celebrities that people are influenced by, with an essential problem we face at university in our daily lives,” he explains, anticipating the event will also offer guests cupcakes, cookies and cake jars provided by Nino's Bakery. 

Founded at AUC in 1989, within the period of the Gulf War, CIMAL initially aimed at raising awareness about the war and unrest in the region. In recent years, the student organisation took on a renewed vision, aiming to become a hub for students from all backgrounds to express their opinions in a safe and non-biased environment.

Check out CIMAL’s Facebook page for more information.

Main photo by Lobna Derbala, produced by Mo4 Network's #MO4Fashion