15-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Winning speech a reflection on racism in New Zealand
A Dunedin teenager's poignant reflection on the Christchurch terror attacks has won her a speechmaking competition.
Queen's High School student Malak Tamimi, 15, won the Dunedin Host Lions Young Speechmaker Contest for a speech she made on racism.
Malak said winning the competition made her feel she had a voice.
"I felt like I was actually seen."
Her speech was about how racism feels in the Western world, which she felt was a "forgotten-about topic".
"For the longest time, I didn't write about racism because I thought it was only in legends and movies, but then I realised it is not just in verbal or explicit things.
Dunedin Host Lions Young Speechmaker Contest winner Malak Tamimi. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
"It is often the backhanded comments and things you don't think would be called racism."
Malak felt racism was experienced less in New Zealand, but was present nonetheless.
She said her speech was emotional because of her mention of the Christchurch mosque shootings of March 15, 2019.
As a young Muslim girl at the time, she did not know exactly what had happened, but she could see how it was affecting the people around her.
"I didn't know the severity of it, but I knew what happened was bad and that it would be bad for a long time."
"As I said in my speech, we were afraid and we are afraid."
