Jehan Khateeb with the 'write focus'

Manama

 Jehan Al Khateeb embraces diversity and has a deep passion for writing, the two complimenting each other. She writes on a range of topics including politics, sociology, youth and women’s issues. A mass communications student at University of Bahrain and a part-time translator and photojournalist, Jehan is a busy bee.

 Her breakthrough in writing happened when she got a chance to take part in the Freshman Arts programme in the Lebanese American University. In Lebanon, she learnt creative writing from Lebanese poet, translator, journalist and women’s rights activist Joumana Haddad. One of Jehan’s proudest moments was submitting one of her best short stories for their final project.

 Even as a kid, Jehan was always into write and taking pictures. She recalls getting excited whenever she had to write something for class. To improve her photography skills, she later took a course at Nikon School. No matter with whom she goes out, taking photographs was her job.

 Upon graduation, she opted for Political Science and International Affairs, but soon realized media field was better suited for her skills.

 Photojournalism destroys all barriers

 Jehan believes written journalism, though powerful, can be limited due to language barriers. “But photojournalism destroys all of that, which is why it means a lot to me. It goes beyond what an article or a news piece can narrate. I always try to capture pictures that narrate some stories,” she said.

 She said being able to interview people and share their stories, their journeys through successes and failures, is an exciting experience. “And when you take pictures, you get to show people, how you see the world different from others. When you combine these two in the form of photojournalism, you get a beautiful image that could open many eyes and influence a lot of people”, she said.

 Stories to be moved by

 Jehan said she inspired by the people around her. She said she grew up in a diverse environment and heard a lot of stories about people around me. “Some stories made me happy, some others angry and even some others that would make me think for days,” she said.

 “I want people to read my work, interviews, reports or articles and say that is Jehan's work,” she added proudly.

 Jehan is currently a photojournalist at a local magazine but she has bigger ambitions. “My real goal is to go to war zones or troubled places and tell the stories of people living there. When I was in Lebanon, I regularly used to visit the Syrian refugees and their kids, to hear their stories and write about them. I would love to visit Yemen, Libya and Sudan, look beyond the war, and write about their traditions. I have a lot dreams and plans. I wish I could achieve them soon,” she said.