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Daughter of a veterinary physician, Moroccan journalist Siham Ouchtou spent her childhood in Ouarzazat, dreaming of the day she would be able to stand in front of the camera. At the age of 29, she achieved her ambitions by joining a German public international broadcaster in Bonn, where she furthered her studies after her degree in journalism in Rabat.
«I grew up in a house where journalism was very important given my father's great interest in politics», Siham told Yabiladi.
«When I was 12 years old, I wanted to study literature because I was passionate about poetry and the Arabic language. At home, watching the news was a ritual and the idea of becoming a news anchor kept growing in my mind since then».
Journalism
When she was 17 years old, Siham Ouchtou had already planned her future. «Almost every member of my family had a scientific background and my father wanted me to follow the same path in high school, but I chose a different one by opting for literary studies. It is what I wanted to do».
Thanks to her brother, the young student discovered the Higher Institute of Information and Communication. «I had never imagined that a school would train journalists in Morocco. My choice was immediately made after that day», she recalled.
Having been admitted to the institute successfully, the young journalist in the making quickly fit in. She was hired by Arabic international newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
«I was an intern at the newspaper and Sudanese journalist Talha Jibreel, then editor-in-chief of Asharq al-Awsat Morocco's office appreciated my style and work. He insisted that I keep working with them after my internship ended. At a young age, I was able to interview politicians, write analytical papers and even get scoops».
Profiting from the opportunity handed over by the international newspaper, Siham Ouchtou was able to debut her career way before graduating college. «The journalism institute taught me a lot of precious things, theoretically-speaking. But joining the job market allowed me to learn more about journalism», she explained. «On my graduation day, I had three years of experience in journalism already», she said proudly.
Heading to Bonn
After graduating college, Siham Ouchtou was offered an internship by Deutsche Welle (DW) and had to join the channel's Arabic-speaking office in Bonn. «I had never expected that», she said. «I might have been thinking of carrying my journalism studies in France or in Spain. But Germany was just a surprise for me».
Once in Bonn, Siham Ouchtou embraced the new experience and was dealing with reports about Morocco but destined to foreign readers.
At the end of her internship she returned to Morocco but was determined to work for DW. Once in Rabat, Siham took German language classes and decided to join a German university. Her choice drove her to the Deutsche Welle Academy :
«The master's degree I joined was not only about journalism but also ways to manage a media company from an economic and financial standpoint. It was challenging, especially because of the language, but I managed to achieve my goal at the end».
With her degree in hand, Siham Ouchtou was hired by Deutsche Welle as a news presenter for the Arabic-language department.
Refugees in Germany
Alongside journalism, Siham had another talent she was passionate about since childhood. Singing was part of her life in Germany and she used that for a greater purpose which was helping refugees.
«DW had a department that was dedicated to the objective of promoting the German language. Its members thought one day of making a song for refugees and asked me to be part of the project. Some parts in the song were supposed to be sung in Syrian so I translated them and took part to the recording».
Siham Ouchtou thinks this project was the thing that marked her the most as a Moroccan woman living in Germany. «In a country far away from home, where I am seen as an immigrant, participating to an artistic project to welcome refugees is something special».
She believes that «even with ten years of experience in the international press», she has not yet achieved all her ambitions: «I always remain someone who learns something new every day. I have done surveys and reports but I still want to perfect my work and I do not see the value of offering such contributions at international prices, for example. An award-winning journalist must be the one who has really added something to the world by making a difference».
Siham Ouchtou thinks her job «must truly be a fourth power, one that gives voice to citizens and reflects their realities. Basically, journalism must not be under the influence of a political apparatus that distorts reality or ideologies when reporting. It's a critical exercise that must allow people to question things», she concluded.
