To my mother…

Welcome dear audience, meeting you once again in a new episode of your show “Awesome People”

Awesome people today are our stars, not just celebrities or footballers, but the wretched hard-working
people, those who are still able to love and dream despite moaning and pain, dreamers of tomorrow,
people who have hope that tomorrow will be better than the past. Today, those people need to be seen,
felt and loved.

Let’s get to know our dear one. How are you doing Haja? How is life?

“A presenter. I’m a presenter wannabe. I used to dream of this since I was in secondary stage. The
dream has vanished, stopped and eliminated as it hasn’t been existed before. The dream was buried by
my own hands as if it hasn’t been there before as I’ve become very down to earth. The reality is I am
now in the Faculty of Commerce, I am going to work on basis of my academic education, so my dream
must die.”

On my last exams’ day at university, when I was just putting down my pen on that same day, I felt that
I’m then responsible because I understood the conditions at my home and realized that my mother
mustn’t work anymore. This woman has worked for so long years even till my secondary stage. So, I
decided to start doing business, but didn’t really know what kind of business it could be. Having been so
confused, I decided suddenly to start making liver sandwiches. People like eating liver sandwiches very
much.

Notice something! I, originally, didn’t know how to cook liver. I used to cut my hands when I held the
knife. When I started to use the knife, my nails used to be cut due to holding it. This was so difficult to
me, but I decided to do it. So, I borrowed some money, about 3000 until I found a girl staying with some
porters whom I told her that I was seeking to do so and so and asked her to guide me.

She guided me here, to the alley, to a shop where all components were there: a car, two gas tubes, an
old Ideal fridge, spoons, ladle, mesh skimmer, the pan on which I fry chicken, the fire on which I cook
chicken and many other tools that helped me. The basics were all there, so I borrowed the money just to
buy some tables, plastic chairs, I could buy two kilos of liver and the cheapest deep freezer so that it
could save me some money.

Song:

“They talked about patience,

So, we waited patiently.

But,… what comes after patience?

It’ s unfair, after waiting patiently,

to wait again with patience.

Hey you! Seller of patience!

What’s more stronger than patience?

That can make me patient to be lonely

With a mind full of thoughts and agony.

Why nights pass, waiting with tears burning my cheeks?

I have nothing to do with fate which agonizes me.

Ayoub used to be patient…..”

I love my work because it’s my means of living.

There is difference between cooking because you like to hold the knife as you want to make a good
meal, because you are craving for it and between making it, not going to say because you are in need or
because you’re forced as this is your means of living, but I have to say you are forced to do that because
you love it in order to gain some licit money acceptable by Allah.

If you are a public servant, you finish work at 2:00 PM

If you’re working for the private sector, you finish work between 6:00 to 7:00.

My work ends at 1:00 …

Sorry! at 1:00 AM.

“And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.”

The least things make me happy…

The least things make me content…

I have never minded people’s opinions or who is going to say whatever.

I have neither known the meaning of the word “SUSTENANCE”, nor did I understand what it means for a
girl to work in streets or even how to forget about a bachelor’s degree. It never occurred to me to know
all about these things.

All what I realize and understand is to go out of my home, head to a stable place where I can work, sell
and then go home.

I have totally overcome the phase of pain.

Pain was just in the beginning, but now the whole experience is perfect.

Yes, I can face problems. The problem can take me time to be sad, but I can be on my foot once again.

This is life. This is what life wants me to be.

I’m, thanks to Allah, very kind and good person and this goes in parallel with strength.

“IT’S NOT IMPORTANT IF YOU COULDN'T REALIZE WHAT YOU DREAMED OF.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS TO MAKE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT BE YOUR DREAM.”

Song:
“If we quit dreaming we are going to die!

If we insisted, we can go through!

“If we quit dreaming we are going to die!

If we insisted, we can go through!

If we just cross once, that’s it.

If we stepped backward, the hope is lost.”

It is not important what your dream was.

But, what you have achieved must become your dream.

The Crew:

To my mother…

“A Girl Called Dahab”

Scenario: Yara El-Yamany

D.O.P.: Fady Magdy

Assistant Photography: Abanob

Montage: Waleed Hassan

Marwa Ibrahim

Story and Direction: Ahmed Saad Eldin

Special Thanks

Names

A Girl Called Dahab