From Afghan refugee to Austereo announcer. Mariam ‘Maz’ Hakim tells her story to radioinfo.
With Refugee Week looming, FM 104.7 announcer Maz Hakim has taken on the role of Refugee Ambassador in Canberra, combining her two passions, radio and refugees, to communicate a positive message to Australians.
Maz came to Australia as a young child with her family, who were seeking a better life. She is the fourth child of an Afghan family who fled Kabul as the Russians invaded. Maz was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan.
Her radio career began in sales and marketing at ARN. She did that for 2 years, then started doing volunteer work for Mix 106.5 and then later for Edge 96.1. After 6 months of that work she applied for AFTRS while still working full time in sales at ARN.
During her AFTRS course Maz also worked in Promotions at 2Dayfm and Triple M and did volunteer producing for Hot 30. She later joined Austereo’s Sydney newsroom as an on the road and traffic reporter. After a year she started applying for country and provincial gigs, then a job at Canberra’s 104.7 came up and she was successful. Maz presents the 2-4 weekday shift and also does ‘The Scoopla’ Celebrity gossip session. Her sister Yalda is also in the media, and works for the BBC.
The theme of this year’s Refugee Week, which begins Monday, is ‘restoring hope.’ The week helps to raise awareness of issues affecting refugees and to celebrate the positive contributions refugees make to Australian society.
Maz has told radioinfo she supports Refugee Week because, “I’m a refugee myself… I believe in celebrating refugees. They’re some of the most resilient people in the world. They’ve been through hardships and struggles and they’re dreamers. They hope and dream for a better life and that is barely ever recognised and they make a positive contribution to their new country.”
“My parents escaped Afghanistan during the Russian invasion on horseback in the middle of the night. They paid a smuggler to help them escape with 3 children, one being 6 months old, the other 7 years old and the eldest 9. I was yet to be born. If you got caught it was conscription and death on the spot. But my parents were dreamers and knew there was something better out there. They hoped and dreamed for a better life for their family. After my parents escaped Afghanistan, they crossed the border into Pakistan which is where I was later born.”
radioinfo: Do you consider that you and your sister are some of those positive contributions that your refugee parents have made to Australia?
I think anybody who has assimilated into Australian society has made a positive contribution. The only difference between Yalda and I is that we are in media, so it gets noticed. Many refugees make positive contributions to our society everyday and that is what refugee week is celebrating.
radioinfo: What are your first memories of Australia?
Villawood Detention Centre. We drove past it about 6 months ago just by chance. My parents were in the car and they pointed to it and said that is where we first stayed. It’s scary to think my fate could have been behind those walls, but back then it was a sort of hostel for refugees. They would house refugees and migrants who first arrived and didn’t have anywhere to stay. Now it is very differen and I think my lucky stars everyday that we aren’t there now. Had my parents not escaped back then, that could have easily been my destiny.
radioinfo: What do you think of the argument that classifies people differently, either as economic refugees of refugees fleeing danger?
I think everybody deserves to have a better life. If you are leaving your country it is because you dream and hope of a better life, of more opportunities. Everybody deserves opportunity and someone’s destiny and future shouldn’t be held back just because of the circumstances they were born in. If you come from a war torn country and live in dire circumstances, then you are a refugee.
radioinfo: What will you be doing during Refugee week and will you be talking about it on air at FM 104.7?
I will be hosting the World Refugee Day breakfast, going to the UNHCR cocktail party, hosting and working with the disadvantaged multicultural youth forum and also MCing the Walk Together/Welcome to Australia walk. And most of all I will be building awareness about refugees and that every refugee hopes for a better life, and everybody deserves freedom.
My general manager will be attending the breakfast. Austero is very supportive. Drew, Eoghan and Craig Bruce are all very supportive of my background and everything I stand for. If the opportunity arrives I may talk about it on air.
My job as a Refugee Week Ambassador is to continue to raise awareness and change the perception that refugees are a burden to this society. They make amazing contributions everyday and have all the qualities we look for in what an Australian should be: resilience, trustworthy, hard working, passionate, family orientated and respectful.
We are a family of 6. My father is an Architect (still practicing now, he has his own business), my mum was a midwife and now looks after the grandchildren full time. My eldest brother is an IT manager, my eldest sister works as a Recruitment Manager, Yalda hosts her own show for BBC world news and then there’s me.
Maz has never been back to Kabul, but wants to go at some time in her career, perhaps to help developing media there. She speaks the Afghani language, Dari, and also Hindi and some Pashto from her time in Pakistan. She considers Dari as an important connection to her homeland.
Maz and her parents tell their story in this video she made for Refugee Week, which begins next Monday.
Mariam’s personal website is at this link.