On Sunday, December 1 2024, Salaam Foundation will be presenting Echoes of Innocence, a tribute by South African children with disabilities to the children of Gaza. The tribute will feature performances from several individuals and schools around Gauteng ranging from poems to songs to speeches. The keynote for the event will be award-winning journalist Qaanitah Hunter in conversation with Palestinian journalist and content creator Ahmed Ghunaim. Their session will be a discussion around “Changing narratives: Why this time it’s different”.
Tickets are available online and in-person. Get in touch us at 0747386376 to purchase your tickets and be part of this heartwarming and powerful tribute from the children of South Africa to the children of Gaza.
https://www.quicket.co.za/events/287761-salaam-foundations-echoes-of-innocence-a-tribute-by-south-african-children-with/
Ahmed Ghunaim is a Palestinian journalist from Gaza who is currently living in South Africa. Ghunaim was travel vlogger in Gaza but even before the genocide, he like the millions of others in Gaza was not allowed to leave. He would instead make travel videos about Gaza, showcasing his country for the world to see.
He came to South Africa in February 2024 after his home was bombed in Gaza, Palestine. Ghunaim had previously been working with SeenTV, a mobile journalism platform which helped facilitate his entry into South Africa. Since October 2024, Ghunaim announced that he had not been working with or affiliated with any media company.
While in South Africa along with SeenTV, Ghunaim released a documentary film called “Ahmed Alive”. This was in reference to the message Ghunaim and many other Palestinians have used to start their videos using the genocide saying “I am still alive”. Like many other young Palestinians in Gaza, Ghunaim was forced to document the pain and suffering and massacres the illegal Israeli state was committing against his people. The documentary detailed life in Gaza and how he managed to escape from the deadly attacks.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika in April 2024, Ghunaim said he was forced to become a war journalist during the genocide because many of international journalists were not allowed in Gaza to report on what was happening.
On October 23 2024, Ghunaim’s family was bombed by the Occupation Forces and he and his family were forced to flee. In the bombing of his house, Ghumaim also lost his startup company before it was announced and he lost his studio and everything. He and his family were forced to live in a small camp on the street after they lost everything.
Qaanitah Hunter is an award-winning journalist, author and mental health advocate. She has worked at some of the biggest South African and international media publications. Hunter is a media industry leader in South Africa and a highly regarded commentator and columnist. She is a highly regarded keynote speaker with a keen interest in politics, democracy and the African continent. Hunter is a best-selling author and co-authored the book Who Will Rule SA? In 2019, Hunter received the prestigious Nat Nakasa Award for bravery in 2019. She graduated with a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Witwatersrand. Hunter is currently working on a fiction novel while doing freelance reporting for Al Jazeera English.
