UNRWA / MUHAMMAD ASAF ARAB IDOL

Arab pop Idol winner Muhammad Asaf visited the UNRWA compound in Gazawhere he met with UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi and staff and was appointed Ambassador for Youth. UNRWA

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:12
• Production Date: 26 June 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST - UNRWA
• Subject Topical: POPULATION; HUMAN SETTLEMENTS; CULTURE; TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
• Geographic Subject: PALESTINE; PALESTINE
• MAMS Id: U130626d

Description

STORY: UNRWA / MUHAMMAD ASAF ARAB IDOL
TRT: 2.12
SOURCE: UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 23-25-26 JUNE 2013 RAMALLAH, WEST BANK, 23-26 JUNE, GAZA / 25 JUNE BEIRUT LEBANON

Shotlist

23 JUNE 2013, RAMALLAH, WEST BANK

1. Wide shot of crowd dancing and cheering in Ramallah's Manara Square minutes before the announcement of the winner of Arab Idol 2013
2. Close up, giant monitor shows Muhammad Assaf awaiting result. Asaf is announced winner
3. Various shots, crowd at Manara Square in Ramallah cheering
4. Close up, Muhammad Asaf on screen at Manara Square
5. SOUND-UP (Arabic) Muhammad Assaf, Arab Pop Idol:
“I cannot thank you enough. I thank you my mother, I respect you.”
6. Muhammad Asaf on stage in Beirut during final of Arab Idol (UNRWA footage)
7. SOUND-UP (Arabic) Muhammad Assaf, Arab Pop Idol:
“Mother, I respect you.”
8. Close up, Muhammad Asaf's mother Intesar Abu-Shammala on screen
9. Med shot, crowd at Manara Square in Ramallah dancin on Saturday 23 June.

26 JUNE 2013, UNRWA HEADQUARTERS

10. Various shots, UNRWA Spokesman Sami Mshasha on screen handing Muhammad Assaf a plaque confirming Asaf's appointment as UNRWA Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees

23 JUNE 2013, RAMALLAH, WEST BANK

11. Various shots, crowd cheering and dancing in Manara Square in Ramallah

25 JUNE 2013, GAZA

12. Med shot, women singing and beating drum in Gaza during Muhammad ASaf's arrival in Gaza
13. Various shots, crowd in street during Muhammad Assaf's arrival in Gaza
14. Various shots, Muhammad Assaf arrives in car to UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza
15. Med shot, Muhammad Assaf walking through corridor, greeted by staff, towards the Executive Office of UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza
16. Med shot, UNRWA Commissioner-General receives Arab Idol winner Muhammad Assaf
17. SOUND-UP (Arabic-English) Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General UNRWA:
Mabrouk! Congratulations! How are you?
18. Wide shot, UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi and Muhammad Assaf in Grandi's office with other officials
19. SOUND-UP (English) Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General, UNRWA:
“I have received in this room heads of states, prime ministers, many important people but I have never seen so much expectation here like for your arrival”
20. Wide shot, Grandi and Assaf holding plaque stating Asaf's appointment as UNRWA Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees
21. Tracking shot, Asaf and Grandi walking up to press conference at UNRWA Gaza Headquarters
22. Med shot, crowd cheering
23. Med shot, Grandi at podium with Assaf
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi , Commissioner-General, UNRWA:
“My pleasure is to confirm in front of you, our UNRWA staff in Gaza, that we have a son of Gaza, a Palestine refugee, who has many links to UNRWA, who is our first ever Ambassador.”
25. Wide shot, crowd applauding
26. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muhammad Assaf, Arab Pop Idol:
“It is a great honor for me to be here at UNRWA. I was raised and educated with the help of UNRWA. I am a refugee like you. I come from Khan Younis refugee camp. I feel so much happiness and pride for being appointed UNRWA Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees.”
27. Med shot, crowd cheering

Storyline

The Commissioner General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, today (26 June) welcomed the Arab Idol winner Mohammad Assaf to UNRWA's Headquarters in Gaza and thanked him for accepting the role of UNRWA’s first ever “Regional Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees”.

Mohammad Assaf had accepted the UNRWA appointment well before his final victory in Beirut.

During the meeting in Gaza, Mohammad Assaf said “I am extremely proud for being named UNRWA’s Youth ambassador for Palestine refugees."

Filippo Grandi and Muhammed Asaf shared the podium at a well attended press conference at UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza. Grandi told the press conference, "My pleasure is to confirm in front of you, our UNRWA staff in Gaza, that we have a son of Gaza, a Palestine refugee, who has many links to UNRWA, who is our first ever Ambassador".

Assaf's visit to UNRWA had the marks of a real homecoming. His family has close links to the agency, several of them are employed as teachers in UNRWA schools in Gaza.

The 22-year-old Muhammad Assaf is a Palestine refugee, born in the impoverished Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. His mother's family hails from the depopulated village of Beit Daras and his father's family is originally from Beersheba, both localities in present-day Israel.

Assaf was, until recently, scraping a living as a wedding singer. His dramatic journey out of Gaza to Egypt to reach the audition for Arab Idol 2013 is already famous. After walking through a seemingly endless scrum of staff members at UNRWA's compound in Gaza wanting to congratulate him, many of them being his family's friends and acquaintances, Asaf said from the podium at the press conference."

It is a great honor for me to be here at UNRWA. I was raised and educated with the help of UNRWA. I am a refugee like you. I come from Khan Younis refugee camp. I feel so much happiness and pride for being appointed UNRWA Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees.

Muhammad Assaf reached stardom in the Arab world and also outside it during the Arab Idol competition in Beirut. Cities and towns all over the West Bank and Gaza exploded in wild celebrations when Mohammad Assaf was declared the winner of Arab Idol in Beirut on the weekend, allowing the Palestinians a rare moment of joy.