YouTube announced on Tuesday the relaunch of YouTube Batala, a channel by YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa dedicated to helping the millions of people who watch YouTube everyday discover the next generation of Arabic-speaking women creators. YouTube Batala is part of a larger effort towards supporting women creators across Arabic speaking countries.
Today, YouTube Batala is an index of more than 250 women-led channels from Algeria to Yemen. It’s part of a wider program by YouTube which also includes a series of events and workshops dedicated to women-led channels to help them elevate their content in terms of production and storytelling.
“One of the things I am in awe of in my role is the immense power and diversity of the women creator community on YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa. Not only are these women creating content that draws in millions of people, they’re also building communities around ideas, beauty, food, and even general wellbeing. YouTube Batala is part of our ongoing work which we started to help more people discover these emerging storytellers while also celebrating their diversity, authenticity and their impact on YouTube. After all, these women really are the heroes of their own stories,” said Tarek Amin, Director of YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa.
YouTube Batala works more as a hub rather than a traditional channel. On Batala, viewers will find a collection of playlists organized by genres with each playlist containing a variety of creators. The playlists cover gaming, education, beauty and fashion, wellness, music, and one of the most important genres in terms of growth among women viewership and content creation: gaming. The creators were chosen based on a set of criteria which include responsible and impactful content creation, consistency, and whether their content was made in Arabic.
Women-led content on YouTube in Arabic-speaking countries has witnessed a major shift in recent years. In 2016, the number of women-led creators with more than one million subscribers stood at five, that’s also when YouTube first launched the Batala project parallel to other creator-focused events and initiatives designed to support women creators on the platform. Today, there are more than 150 women-led channels with more than one million subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa.
Batala features creators from across the spectrum of interests. Meshael from Saudi Arabia and Kafa from Tunisia are two people leading a thriving community of women gamers on YouTube. Manola, also from Saudi Arabia is taking lifestyle content to the next level by not just reviewing clothes or posing in them but by also making them. While Nedal from Egypt has managed to bring a community of book lovers together to discuss books and even started a virtual book club through her YouTube Channel. Here are some of the women you will find on YouTube Batala which we expect to be the next generation of leading women on YouTube:
| Abeer Sinder
Saudi Arabia
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Abeer is a beauty and lifestyle creator. Her videos help women navigate the massive worlds of makeup, skincare, and wellness. Her authenticity and candor – especially about her experience as a new mother – is what keep hundreds of thousands of people coming back to her channel.
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| Sarah Hany
Egypt |
In between Sarah’s videos about her life as a young woman navigating life in Cairo, Sarah also shares her journey towards being the best version of herself. It’s relevant, important, and authentic content. |
| Reem animations ريم انميشن
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Reem is redefining vlogging on YouTube. She comes in with a fresh take to the realm where she draws and animates her life and experiences. Reem’s channel is a happy, funny, and creative corner of YouTube.
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| Manola – مَنّولَة – Saudi Arabia
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Manola’s charm is in her hands. Her love for fashion transcends discussions on trends and clothing hauls, where she goes the extra mile to create her favourite styles. She’s poised to become the Arab Fashion DIY Queen.
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| Kafaa – Tunisia
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The Arabic gaming creator community is one of the most powerful and quickly growing communities in the world. Kafa from Tunisia is one of the women carving out a space for women creators in the gaming creator community. |
| Nedal Reads – Egypt
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With her videos, Nedal creates meaningful discussions about the books she reads and films she watches. She summarizes the content and brings their ideas to life for her YouTube community. Through her channel, Nedal also started a virtual book club. |
| Basma Dash
Egypt |
Basma is an Egyptian creator based out of the UAE. Her channel is home to a range of videos about everything from beauty experiments and advice, to what it’s like being a new mother and having a quickly growing family. |
