A young Tunisian woman's love for the Turkish language, which she began to learn when she was 11-12 years old, made her the country's first host of a radio program in Turkish.

Sara Rahuma, who started to learn Turkish first on her own and later continued showing interest in the language by taking proper lessons in high school, managed at the age of 25 to become the first host of a radio show in this language in her country.

Completing her master's degree in hygiene and environmental safety, she also obtained bachelor's degrees in biotechnology and multimedia. She continued her education in the field of media at the Institute of New Technologies.

There, Rahuma joined the institute's multimedia club and began preparing radio programs in Turkish.

Rahuma – now hosting her radio show "Türkçe Konuşalım" ("Let's Talk in Turkish"), told Anadolu Agency (AA) about her adventure with the Turkish language.

"When I first discovered Turkish, I was in primary school. I began to learn Turkish on my own. How to pronounce Turkish words? How is the alphabet? I slowly started to learn all this," she said.

'Turkish is a part of my life'

Rahuma, who said she had difficulty learning the Turkish language on her own, particularly the pronunciation, recalled the beginning of her learning process, stating: "At first, while learning Turkish, I couldn't practice even if I understood it. As far as I remember, no one around me knew or was learning Turkish back then. So I used to feel special."

The young woman had no idea of how to improve her Turkish after high school, she said, adding it was a turning point in her life when she learned that Turkish lessons were being given at the April 9 University during her university education.

"I attended the lectures of Musa Kaya, who teaches at the university, and I took Turkish lessons with the students so I could practice for four years."

"I can say that I learned Turkish. After learning it, Turkish became a part of my life," she noted.

Turkish radio program, a first for Tunisia

After joining her institute's multimedia club with a friend, she got the opportunity to fulfill her dream of having her own radio show. At first, she conducted her radio program in Arabic for two years, she said. But, meanwhile, "We wanted to do something more special and new."

"In consultation with my Turkish teachers, I prepared a good radio show. I wanted my work to leave a mark and be very special," she said.

Addressing her audience in Turkish, she also gives information about Turkish culture and plays Turkish songs.

Rahuma said that her radio program that began last November is well received and that the Tunisian audience, as well as the representatives of Turkish institutions in Tunisia, support her radio show. She said she feels proud of achieving this as a first in Tunisia and is pleased to realize her dream of producing a radio program in Turkish during her education.

Thanking those who support her, Rahuma said, "My dear Turkish teachers who established Turkish Clubs at school and Turkish institutions in Tunisia have always supported me."

She also pointed out that during her learning process, she attended the Turkish Summer Course of Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) in 2018 and did an internship at Anadolu Agency's office in Tunisia while studying multimedia.

With her Turkish teacher Musa Kaya, Rahuma also published a magazine named Ayyildiz (StarCrescent). Her efforts to improve her Turkish continue. She watches Turkish movies and reads books of poems, she also said.

Underlining that learning in an environment where no one knew Turkish was a difficult challenge for her, the young Tunisian said: "I want to reach out to everyone here. If you have something you believe in, a dream or a goal, go after it and never let go. Learning Turkish has changed my life."