In the darkest moments of history, some find their guiding light. For Marianela Pereyra, the Argentine-American writer, TV host, and activist, bearing witness to suffering became the catalyst for her most profound transformation. The genocide unfolding in Palestine didn’t just awaken her activism; it redefined her entire understanding of why she exists.
Though not Palestinian herself, Marianela’s connection to Soul Arabia campaign’s themes runs deep. Her platform centers on digital activism, cultural preservation, and the use of creativity to challenge dominant narratives, work that has made her a powerful voice for justice and an unwavering ally in the fight against oppression.
The Phoenix Moment
Marianela describes her personal rebirth in stark terms. The genocide and the current state of the world became a transformative moment for her, painful but clarifying. “They say the phoenix needs to burn so it can rise from the ashes”, she explains, and in this dark moment in history, she found her guiding light: a proper understanding of why she is here.
This rebirth erased any separation between personal and public life. She understood that a self-serving, self-absorbed existence is not the way. A life meant to serve others, filled with acts of compassion and contribution, is a life filled with humanity. Her darkest moments contained seeds of future strength; they never reduced her. Her most significant moment of rebirth came from bearing witness to other people’s suffering. In the end, she’s learned to build more resilience, more resistance, and more joy.
Keeping Culture Alive
Although Marianela is not Palestinian, she declares: “Ana Dammi Falastini, my blood is Palestinian”. She has always fervently fought for the rights of refugees, recognizing that no one chooses to be a refugee, “It became clear to me that the plight of Palestinians stemmed from oppressors controlling the narrative and spending decades dehumanizing them and vilifying an entire religion”.
In her fight to spread awareness of the colonization and systematic genocide Palestinians have endured, she works hard at keeping every thread of Palestinian culture alive. Not living in her own motherland, she found that Palestinians she met abroad made her feel most at home. Together, they celebrate Palestinian culture, food, and way of life, because the erasure of Palestinian culture is a colonizer’s primary goal. Dispossession doesn’t only mean removing people from their land; it also means removing them from their traditions.
At gatherings with friends or in bazaars in Vienna, Austria, where she’s based, they keep Palestinian culture alive by sharing stories, wearing kuffiyehs or thobes, dancing dabke, supporting Palestinian artists and businesses, and preparing Palestinian dishes. Food is a connection, and Palestinians in the diaspora will always keep it alive. The oppressors cannot occupy all of their kitchens, minds, and hearts.
Truthful Storytelling as Resistance
In a media landscape crowded with noise, Marianela believes truthful storytelling begins with deep self-awareness, an unwavering commitment to maintain your moral compass, and indomitable courage to speak and stand for your truth. In a world with narrative control and misinformation, truthful storytelling requires honesty, authenticity, transparency, and loudness. It is fear that keeps so many silent during unconscionable suffering. Truthful storytelling is a courageous art form that gives the voiceless a voice, sheds light on injustices, fosters empathy, and inspires real change.
Her platform isn’t lifestyle-driven; it’s mission-driven. She will not sacrifice her morals for any job or platform. No amount of money can buy her integrity. She only follows through with things that call her soul. Trends and aesthetics don’t call her; they’re fleeting and hold no substance. If it’s not a complete yes in her entire being, it’s a no. She closes many doors, and so many windows open. She trusts her instinct and her fate.
Digital Activism as Renaissance
Technology has revolutionized the way activism is conducted. Digital activism will effectively change the world by amplifying the voices of the oppressed and shedding light on hard truths that the global media deliberately ignores. In the Middle East, digital activism is transforming every dimension of social, cultural, and political life.
She believes social media has helped shed light on Palestinian history that has been distorted, silenced, and deliberately suppressed. Each post helps. They live on platforms as long as accounts remain active, circulating for years. She saw one of her own videos reach more than two million views a year after she created it. “In a globalized world, these issues need everyone’s help to amplify and raise awareness. The more people who continue posting about violent aggressions and crimes against Palestinians, the higher the chance that real change can occur”, she said.
The real challenge, she notes, is pushing the correct terminology when describing the Palestinian plight, “This is not a war, it is systematic genocide; not a conflict, but the culmination of decades of occupation, systemic ethnic cleansing, and the denial of fundamental human rights to a native people whose only crime is the desire to live freely in their ancestral homeland”.
Creativity as Challenge
As a writer, producer, and host, Marianela uses comedy and satire to break through algorithms and shed light on both injustices and beautiful truths. Humor engages audiences and encourages them to think critically about narratives they’ve been fed. Comedy has also helped her evade censorship. Satire lowers viewers’ resistance to serious topics and provides a safe entry into what many consider taboo, “People are more likely to remember a funny message than a factual one”, she assures.
Marianela uses her voice, on-camera experience, music, and video to emotionally charge her audience and captivate their interest. Sometimes she creates comedic content as a coping mechanism to help those experiencing injustice reclaim agency. Shared laughter over common grievances helps build collective identity and a sense of shared purpose among marginalized groups.
Joy as Resistance
Marianela has learned the importance of honoring her emotional, physical, and mental state. Her activism will never waver, but it cannot be sustained if she’s in turmoil and exhaustion. “As we fight to uphold the sanctity of life”, she insists, “we must also remember to live our lives. We cannot allow the state of the world to consume us. We must go deeper than despair. Our joy and our much-needed rest are the greatest forms of resistance. We cannot allow oppressors to occupy how we feel inside. If we don’t feed ourselves moments of happiness, we won’t have the energy to make the world better. When we check out to rest and repair, we’re strengthening the collective”.
The Next Chapter
Looking ahead, Marianela envisions her storytelling renaissance crossing over to multiple platforms beyond Instagram, X, or TikTok. Along with her commitment to shed light on injustices comes her responsibility to highlight the beauty of culture, food, and heritage. In her 25-year career in television, hosting travel and food shows, she now wants to produce content that dismantles the Islamophobic and anti-Arab dehumanizing narrative the West has spun for personal gain. She wants to highlight the deeply rooted traditions of beauty, hospitality, intellectual heritage, and humanity of the Arab world and culture.
What gives her strength when the emotional toll is heavy?She answers : “Constantly bearing witness to the suffering of Palestinians, it’s their resilience in the face of extermination that keeps me going. My emotional toll pales in comparison to their plight. I cannot seek comfort and silence while an entire people are being erased. What world would I be allowing for my own son? What do we stand for if we cannot stand up for the rights of children? They are all our children”, and this is what gives her strength.
Standing among a group of pioneering women being celebrated by Soul Arabia at the archaeological site of Umm el-Jimal, Marianela embodies unity built not on geography but on shared humanity and moral courage. Her work demonstrates that renaissance means finding purpose through bearing witness, that rebirth comes from embracing pain to build resilience and resistance, and that true unity emerges when we refuse to let oppressors occupy not just land, but our kitchens, our joy, and our hearts.
Editor-in-Chief & Visual Director: Sultan Abu Tair, Produced by ThreeSixty Mena and photographed by Cihan Alpgiray, Styling by Jony Matta, Marianela’s Black Suit & Red dress from Elisabetta Franchi, words by Amira Shawky & Mohamed Alaadin, and special thanks to Grand Hyatt Amman
