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Nadia Kailouli is confident, smart and radiant. Yabiladi met her in a Moroccan-German forum in Tangier on October the 1st, the young woman was humble and in love with what she was doing. Unquestionably, the TV presenter received attention once arrived in Morocco, she is always praising her country, wishing she knew more about it.
The 34-year-old woman, daughter of Moroccan parents, is originally from Ras el Ma, a commune near Berkane (Oriental region). «They are from the first generation that immigrated to Germany. They taught me everything. They wanted me to be the best. It was not easy to be Moroccan when I was younger. My teachers were not used to children of immigrants, especially in Dhünn near Wermelskirchen. They did not believe in my capabilities. None of my teachers encouraged me to persevere», Nadia Kailouli told Yabiladi.
Eventually, Nadia auditioned for «On 3 Südwild». «I went to a jury composed of three journalists, they asked me to deliver a speech and an interview. They were amazed by my openness. I told them that it came from my Moroccan origins. It was some kind of reality TV show, and I ended up winning the competition, says Nadia Kailouli who debuted her career as a TV presenter at «Bayerisches Fernsehen».
Making documentaries on controversial topics
Since then, the young woman has come a long way as a journalist. She worked at ARD One, where she presented a daily talk-show called «Einsweiter», interviewing well-known public figures in Germany. For the past two years, Nadia Kailouli has worked as a freelance journalist for ARD and Spielgel Online and has been producing documentaries on topics that were curiously interesting.
«I wanted to talk about the problems of everyday life. I made several documentaries. I did one on the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean, near Libya. We had spent three weeks on a boat with a cameraman. It was a difficult experience, since I was there as a journalist, but also as a volunteer. It was hard to remain professional until the end.»
Nadia Kailouli tries to tackle topics that are controversial in Germany. She previously worked on a documentary on the burqa veil. «I tried to understand why women chose to wear it in Germany. It was hard to find women wearing burqas, since there are not many in Germany. As part of this documentary, I interviewed an imam, as well as a nun», recalled the 34-year-old Moroccan-German.
One of the latest topics she worked on revolved around the «Moroccans who sexually assaulted women in Cologne during the 2016 New Year's eve».
«It was interesting to show what kind of men we have here now, that we should not be afraid of massive influxes of immigrants. I even went to Casablanca to meet the family of one of them who had claimed to be Syrian».
The idea of working on this documentary came from the feeling Nadia had after the events in Cologne. «I saw how people spoke badly about Moroccans. It hurt me», says the young woman.
Moroccan first and foremost
The young woman is above all Moroccan : «I was born in Germany, yet my heart belongs to Morocco. With my parents, we went once or twice a year to see my family in Ras el Ma. Sometimes I miss feeling where I come from». Nadia Kailouli had recently come to Tangier, she had a frustrating time, since she does not speak Darija (Moroccan dialect). «I thought, oh my God, I'm in my parents' country and I cannot talk to Moroccans,» she said..
Yet her parents' decision not to teach her their mother tongue does not make her angry, but only saddens her.
«I understand my parents' choice. But on the other hand I am sad that they did not teach me more about the country and I do not speak the language. It was difficult for them, we were the only immigrants in the village, there were no others. They wanted us to be well integrated, they spoke only German to us».
Nadia Kailouli is now based in Hamburg, but Morocco is part of her . «I really felt that I wanted to know more about Morocco when I went to Tangier this month. It touched me to be close to my country, my culture. I think we never forget where we came from. My plan is to go to Morocco for a year, to learn Darija, to get closer to Moroccans and to know the country of my parents,» she concluded.
