Our people of the year 2023: Motaz and Mahrang

2023 saw the world witnessing war and injustices on a global scale, and the rise of indigenous leadership. It is said that leaders are not born, they are made. The war on Gaza and some indigenous movements have caused a paradigm shift in the collective consciousness of people by changing the way pop culture approaches celebrity culture. This time the choice was not hard. Heroes of 2023 are neither politicians nor actors, they are people who have not deliberately made their way to the limelight. Circumstances made them stand up for the cause they stood for.

Motaz Azaiza

Motaz, the photojournalist famously known as “The Eye of Gaza”, has emerged as the world’s window into Gaza. His Instagram and Twitter accounts provided a very real and horrifying peek into the oppression carried out by the Israeli forces.

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A post shared by Motaz Azaiza مُعْتَز عزايزة ⚡️ (@motaz_azaiza)

The world saw his transformation over a short time, as the war lingered on for more than 80 days. From grey hair at 24 to his struggle to have access to the internet, the world him document the horrors unfolding in Gaza’s genocide. His followers increased from thousands to millions and he became that one person who people prayed for when seen offline for a long time.

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A post shared by Motaz Azaiza مُعْتَز عزايزة ⚡️ (@motaz_azaiza)

This young man graduated from the University of Gaza in English Language Literature, pursued his passion for photography, and struggled as a freelancer in the limited options available in Gaza but his efforts got recognized post-October 7. His valour and commitment got appreciated in the form of him being declared the “Man of the Year” by GQ Middle East and the pictures taken by him making it to Times Top 100 Photos of 2023.

“No one is safe, nowhere is safe, and fear is everywhere. Either I stay at home or I go outside. Why should I stay at home? I have to stand up and show the world the truth through the camera lens,” Motaz told The New Arab in an interview and this encapsulates the motive behind his work.

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A post shared by Motaz Azaiza مُعْتَز عزايزة ⚡️ (@motaz_azaiza)

Mahrang Baloch

Mahrang, a student leader from Balochistan, is again a leader crafted by circumstances. At 30, she is leading a movement against the extra-judicial killings and missing persons in the country.

Mahrang was just a young girl when her father was forcibly abducted and later found dead with signs of torture back in 2009. According to her, this incident changed her life completely. Unfazed, she became vocal about the inhumane acts. Her brother faced the same persecution in 2017 but that made her even more resolute to speak against this injustice. She actively led different movements in her student years. Mahrang was a student leader in 2020 when the removal of the quota system at Bolan Medical College emerged and she led the campaign to oppose the suggestion successfully as she believed that this quota system preserve opportunities for students from remote areas.

یکم جولائی 2011 میرے سیاسی استاد اور میرے والد عبدالغفار لانگو کو 2 سال جبری گمشدہ کرنے کے بعد انکی مسخ شدہ لاش ریاست نے ہمیں تحفے میں دی۔اپنے مہروان والد کے خون آلود چہرے کو دیکھتے انکے تابوت کے پاس بیٹھے ہم پانچ بہنوں اور ہمارے اکلوتے بھائی کی زندگیاں یکسر بدل گئی۔ pic.twitter.com/OC1EBJS9Ky

— Mahrang Baloch (@MahrangBaloch_) July 1, 2023

The human rights activist describes herself as a political worker and an advocate of #endenforceddisappearences.

She is currently leading the sit-in by Balcoh protestors in Islamabad, becoming the voice of tens of thousands of Baloch suffering the loss of their beloved in the province through the platform of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. The death of Balach Baloch instigated a new wave of awareness about the issue and this time Mahrang is determined to not let the phenomenon of the “Baloch Genocide” go unnoticed.

Both causes are close to our hearts, inspiring us with their bravery and determination.