"The Storyteller"

Bisan Owda is 25 years old with raven barrel curls that dance wildly around her face when she walks along the beach. Those same big beautiful curls were once the cause of relentless teasing. But Bisan is a force of nature that doesn't back down and also loves deeply.

She wasn't fluent in English and didn't learn how to speak it until three months ago out of sheer determination to tell the story of her people. Because of this she says "yani" a lot while trying to think of the right English word. It translates to "I mean."

When you go to her social media pages you'll see wizard behind her name, it's because she loves Harry Potter and her favorite character is Hermoine, obviously. She's a women's rights activist, Bisan, not Hermoine but Emma Watson is so it still tracks.

At just 25, she has traveled to multiple countries like France, Lebanon and Belgium with the UN Women's Youth Gender Innovation Agora and as an EU Goodwill Ambassador.

She loves her little brothers and friends and misses playing basketball. She's played in several championships. You'll rarely see Bisan in a dress or skirt even before everything happened. When she's not working she's usually sporting hoodies, baggy t-shirts, jeans or leggings/joggers and some sneakers.

She graduated college in 2021 and has her own show called “Hakawatya,” where she explores historical sights in her city and tells the story of how the ancient people lived who once walked the same floors she stands on.

Before Bisan became known worldwide for her catchphrase, "It's Bisan and I'm still alive," she was known as a storyteller.

A filmmaker.

A sister.

A journalist.

A friend.

An advocate.

An activist.

An outspoken, questions authority, takes no crap bright light destined to change the world.

She has a life as a full well-rounded human being with hopes, dreams, desires and a story to tell. So when you think of Bisan, think of her as a whole person, not just a number.

Bisan has recently been nominated for a Peabody Award with AJ+.

#Bisan Owda is 25, she's a storyteller and she deserves a future that includes continued safety and full freedom.

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