Ziyad Farman fled Iraq in 2014 and found a new home in Germany. He studied Intermedia at the Faculty of Human Sciences and was awarded the DAAD Prize for his outstanding achievements and his social commitment. He also runs a YouTube channel which now has more than three million views.

Interviewer: Jan Voelkel

Ziyad Farman, the story of your escape is a truly moving one. Why did you have to leave your home country?

When the so-called Islamic State attacked my hometown of Shingal in 2014, we had to flee quickly. We know how it ended: with a genocide against the Yezidi community. We first went to Kurdistan in northern Iraq, where I lived for five months. But I didn’t see any future there. Our family owned a car. My parents sold it for me, so that I could continue. That was very emotional. I was 20 years old and it was a difficult decision to go on my own, leaving the others behind. I then went to Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, France and finally Germany.

Did your family know how you were doing during this time? How did you stay in contact during that time?

That was really difficult. We had contact via a Messenger service one or two times a week at most. My family knew where I was, but not much more. In addition, I did not always have money on the run, the battery of my cell phone was flat, or there was no internet connection. So, on the other hand, I didn’t know for days or weeks how my family was doing.

These are experiences that most of us can hardly imagine. Were there moments when you thought things couldn’t go any further?

I was in Turkey for three months and kept trying to get to Bulgaria. I didn’t succeed and was arrested and sent back several times at the border. They always took everything away from us – money, mobile phone, everything. I had to start from scratch. After a few failed attempts, I telephoned my parents and asked if I should come back. They said that I should decide if I still have enough strength. That was the moment I said I was going to go through with it. My decision was clear. I wanted to try it again and I didn’t care what would happen. Then it finally worked and I crossed the border.

Were you able to find some rest after these tribulations, or were you busy with what would come next?

When I finally arrived in Germany, I began to learn German after two or three days in the refugee shelter. I wanted to get in touch with the people here, understand how they tick and live. My native language Kurmanji is a rare language and is spoken only in a few parts of the world. So I knew that I always had to learn the local language. When we went to Kurdistan, we learned Badini. When we came to Baghdad, we learned Arabic. And it was the same in Germany. Language also provides access to knowledge and information.

It sounds like you’re a focused guy.

I think you could say that. After ten days in Bielefeld, our group moved to another accommodation in Minden. We had to apply for a new identity card at the immigration office. When we were able to pick it up after two months, I spoke to the case worker in German. She was quite surprised. By the way, I taught myself the language online since I was not allowed to attend official German courses due to my status.

Learning on the internet led to the idea of creating your own YouTube channel. Was there a moment when you realized that it could become a big project?

After I had made a few videos – on various social issues and issues that affect the migrant community – there was a lot of positive feedback and comments. That gave me the encouragement I needed. I saw that I could help people and give them something. I felt it was worthwhile putting the work into the channel. And if there was a good time to help my community, it was this. On the run, we needed each other, we needed help. Now I was able to contribute, so I did. I felt that I had a responsibility.

Did the idea of going to university and studying the degree programme Intermedia come from your experience with YouTube videos?

Yes, I noticed how cool it is to research and collect information. However, it was always clear to me that I would like to study. But the start was complicated, because I had to get my Abitur (general university entrance qualification) recognized first. I did this through a Studienkolleg and it took almost two years. The problem was that my Abitur was recognized as a subject-specific technical Abitur. Intermedia, however, is a subject in the humanities. That’s why I had to take another semester of ‘International Plus’ at university. Only then could I get started.

You have now successfully completed your studies and have received an award by the DAAD for outstanding achievements. After starting the programme, things probably improved?

The student council and the lecturers gave me the feeling of being at home here. I think I’ve never felt so comfortable anywhere as at the University of Cologne, except in my home country Iraq. If I had questions and did not understand everything, especially in the first semester, I could always ask the lecturers and my fellow students. I was also able to participate in everything. For example, I joined the student council to share my experiences and help others.

During your studies, you were already working for the education platform GermanDream or for formats such as WDR For You. Now you were able to get a journalistic traineeship at the TV channel ZDF, which you started two months ago. How is it going so far?

The traineeship is going really well. Work in journalism is exactly my thing. I was able to gain a great deal of theoretical and practical experience. The input is always exciting because everything is tailored to us. So we only learn things that are relevant now or later in our professional life. For example, we have learned how to write news bulletins, or how to make good journalistic video contributions. In order to put what we have learned into practice, we have practical phases. For the first part of this phase, I will go to Düsseldorf and work in the state studio from January to mid April.
I find this all very very interesting.