Aksam Al-Yousef

 

Biography

Aksam Al-Yousef is a playwright, journalist, director, and producer in theater and television. He has a master’s degree in drama from the University of Alberta. Al-Yousef began his career in teaching Arabic to foreigners since he was a student at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Syria. The Arabic language has a special place in the spirit of Al-Yousef, especially الفصحى (classic). Besides his leading work in theater as a playwright and director and as a scriptwriter and producer in Al Jazeera Network, he loves to teach. Al-Yousef taught Arabic intermittently in Syria and Qatar as he tries to employ his knowledge in many fields (especially writing, training actors, and directing plays) in teaching Arabic. Since coming to Canada in 2016, Al-Yousef has written and directed many new plays, including Offerings, Honey and Nuts, Souls, Hagar, F.O.B., and Rehearsal. Recently, He starts teaching Arabic at the University of Alberta.

What has surprised you about teaching remotely?

What surprised me about teaching remotely was How the university provided all the means to compensate for attending the class in person. I felt as if we were actually in the class, and the outcome was almost the same.

What's the last book you read and loved?

The last book I read and loved is The Forty Rules of Love. It is a novel written by Turkish author Elif Shafak, about Jalal-Ud-Din, known as Rumi, and his companion Shams Tabrizi. This book explains how Shams transformed a scholar into a Sufi through love.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

If I could travel anywhere globally, It would be to Syria to see my family.

What 3 words best describe your experience as a teacher?

Care, Passion, Patience

What is your favourite word in Arabic?

التسامح Forgiveness