POLITIEKE JONGEREN – VERZET! DE MEDIAWERELD

During his studies in Social Geography & Urban Planning, Nugah Shrestha founded the platform @Politieke_Jongeren in 2017, which has since grown to more than 180,000 followers. His goal is to raise awareness around public issues and to politicize people. He collaborates with organizations such as Oxfam Novib, Milieudefensie, CARE Netherlands, and FNV.

In addition, Nugah works at a housing corporation in Amsterdam, where he focuses on social questions such as how neighborhoods can be improved for residents.

Maya-Nora Saaid is a journalist and video maker. She produces video explainers, interviews, breaking news, and investigative stories on geopolitics, power structures, media framing, and human rights, grounded in fact-checking and storytelling.

Her focus lies on the Levant — particularly occupied Palestine and Israel — and on how this struggle reverberates across Europe, including through the framing used by (mainstream) media and politics. Maya-Nora works for the British platform Middle East Eye and Omroep Zwart, and regularly writes for Vrij Nederland. At Middle East Eye, she started as a presenter and TikTok strategist. By combining journalism with platform strategy and visual storytelling, the account grew to over one million followers in a short period of time.

“An entire history can be hidden in a single word. The question is: what do you name — and who remains invisible?” — Maya-Nora Saaid

Malique Mohamud is an artist, designer, strategist, and artistic director of The Niteshop: a hybrid cultural space and knowledge center in Rotterdam-Delfshaven. The Niteshop functions as a neighborhood shop, barbershop, and stage for podcasts, design, research, and conversations about street culture, identity, and urban futures.

Through his work, Mohamud translates lived experience and street knowledge into narratives, programs, and tools that make the richness of superdiverse neighborhoods — what he sometimes calls sauce or fringe capital — visible and valuable in broader cultural and societal contexts.

In 2025, he received the Visionary 010 Award at The MELLYs for his pioneering efforts to center migrant culture and community knowledge in future-oriented urban imagination and cultural leadership.

Bob Sneevliet is the face behind the radical left media platform Left Laser, a YouTube channel known for its satirical and confrontational street interviews aimed at challenging those in power. He founded the channel in 2022, which is now also active on TikTok and Instagram. His goal is to create media content and propaganda that strengthens young communists and critically examines political issues.

Bob has been politically active since the age of fourteen. He joined the youth wing of the Socialist Party (SP), organized demonstrations as a teenager, and quickly realized that media content is crucial for political impact — an insight that ultimately led to the creation of Left Laser.

MAHA is a Sudanese multidisciplinary artist, zine publisher, musician, and model. In recent years, she has redefined herself as a punk artist and founded Mahazine, an independent zine that creates space for activism and stories about diaspora and intersectionality. Through her work, MAHA uses creativity as a weapon against oppression, prejudice, and limiting labels, while fostering self-expression and community building.

“My work centers on stories that are ignored or misinterpreted. On people who don’t always see themselves reflected in society. On justice, but also on joy and vitality. I explore themes that resonate with me, with the goal of offering a new perspective.” — MAHA