Partner
Dr Bushra Othman, editor of The Weight of Witness, joins contributor Dr Saya Aziz to reflect on their experiences volunteering on medical missions to Gaza.
The Weight of Witness brings together the firsthand accounts of 40 Australian and New Zealand medical professionals who have volunteered in Gaza, documenting what they witnessed and endured working on the frontline of a healthcare system under extraordinary strain.
Edited and introduced by Dr Bushra Othman, the collection is a tribute to the extraordinary work of volunteer medical staff in times of war. Its essays speak to courage, humanity, resistance and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people, and document the profound impact of caring for others amid devastation.
Othman, the first Australian-Palestinian and Muslim Australian woman to volunteer as a surgeon in Gaza, joins fellow contributor Dr Saya Aziz and host Antoun Issa to discuss the human experiences behind the collection – from the mental toll of the work to the difficult task of putting pain, grief and anger on the page.
Content warning:
This event contains discussion of violence, war, conflict in the Middle East, mass trauma and casualties and harm to children.
Presented in partnership with PEN Melbourne
Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Wednesday 11 November
6.30 - 7.45pm
Tickets
$25.50
Full
$19.50
Concession
$19.50
Under 30
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Location
Accessibility
Accessible toilets available
Assistive Listening
Auslan interpreting available by-request
Companion tickets available
Registered Assistance Animals welcome
Wheelchair accessible
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Additional Notes
Dr Bushra Othman will be signing books after the event.
The bookseller for this event is Amplify Bookstore.
Melbourne was designated the world’s second UNESCO City of Literature in 2008. As part of this global network, we strive to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals designed to promote fairness, health and environmental sustainability worldwide. 
This event addresses Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Featuring
Saya Aziz
Dr Saya Aziz calls herself a ‘citizen of the world’. Born in Iraqi Kurdistan, she spent her formative years there before relocating to the UK, where she later completed medical school. She later trained in ...
Dr Bushra Othman
Dr Bushra Othman is a Palestinian Australian General Surgeon from Naarm/Melbourne who is in her final year of colorectal subspecialty training. She has been honoured to complete three medical missions ...
Antoun Issa
Antoun Issa is a Lebanese-Australian journalist and founder of Deepcut News. After completing his Master of International Relations at the Australian National University, he moved to Lebanon in 2011 ...