Amani Al-Khatahtbeh Heads To Cannes As Glass Lions Juror

The author and entrepreneur known for Muslimgirl.com, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, will be representing the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region in the Glass Lions category. Glass Lions, also known as Lions for Good, celebrates work that attempt to make a social change or address issues concerning society at large. In this interview with the Arabian Marketer, Ms Al-Khatahtbeh speaks on her expectations from the Festival this year.

On The Cannes Lions Experience
I’ve been immersed in the process of becoming familiar with and reviewing very inspiring work from the past year. I’ve especially enjoyed being introduced to the creative efforts taking place around the world to uniquely combat some shared and universal issues. Seeing the hard work that went on behind the scenes to bring to life these initiatives, from ones I had already encountered to those I hadn’t yet, makes me feel humbled by the responsibility of being a judge.

On MENA’s Performance At Cannes Lions
MENA, like many regions around the world, has been a hub of innovation over recent years, especially among its youth, which is over 70 percent of the Middle East’s population. We’ve seen this statistic manifest an uptick of startups and youth initiatives in Arab countries, even as they deal with issues like unemployment and violence from conflict zones.

The difference here is a stark reality that Glass Lions is meant to transcend, which is that there are voices and narratives that are severely underrepresented in media, on the global stage. When it comes to MENA, we very rarely give attention to or acknowledge all the positivity that this region has to offer.

MENA has been transforming rapidly in its capability to harness media and technology, in order to propel the region forward in innovation. It keeps progressing by the year in ways that make me proud of its young people, and very hopeful for the ways they will use this innovation to build bridges for a brighter future. Regardless of the affirmation of the awards, which is something to be fundamentally excited about, I hope MENA gets the recognition it deserves.

On Favorite Entries At Cannes Lions
I appreciate the MENA initiatives that stand out for tackling the difficult problem of domestic violence head on. These are certainly worthy of the visibility.

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