We can truly say that curiosity is Farah Alibay’s superpower. In recent years, she remotely piloted a robot on the planet Mars. She also played the Star Fairy in the Santa Claus parade! These days, the aerospace engineer is still stepping out of her comfort zone. She is launching a children’s novel: Najma in the starsillustrated by her lover Jeremy. I had the chance to speak to Farah. We chatted about curiosity ????????, risks ⛷️and his dog, Barkley ????. Among others!
How did you get the idea for this children’s novel?
I’ve been thinking about this for years! With my boyfriend, I go climbing and hiking. We sometimes have to drive several hours and it was during these trips that Najma was born. I wrote the story and my boyfriend did the illustrations.
Who is Najma?
Najma means star in Arabic. She’s a 12-13 year old girl. She doesn’t feel good on Earth. She has no friends. She always wanted to be a pilot, like her parents, but she failed her pilot’s test. After an argument, she decides to leave Earth. She steals the family space shuttle and sets out to explore the cosmos. She will meet a creature who will become her friend: Broccoli. It is inspired by our dog Barkley! Together, they will visit different planets and learn physics. And also lessons about life.
What kind of lesson?
Najma, in her adventure, also discovers herself. She learns to accept herself, to dare to break out of the mold, to follow her passions. I would like to pass this on to readers. Dare to be different. Be… stubborn! Yes, stubborn: having dreams, then finding the motivation to do what you love and find your place.
Does Najma look like you?
Yes. When I was young, I didn’t have many friends. I wasn’t cool. I was the girl who loved math, science. I dreamed of working at NASA and everyone thought I was a little crazy. Now, I have found my place, but I remember that feeling of solitude, of difference, of not being understood.
You dreamed of being an astronaut. Is this still the case?
I already travel in space thanks to my robots. I telework, a little through them! (Laughs) We can go much further with robots. But I would still like to be an astronaut. Exploring space gives a new perspective of our planet. That’s a bit why we explore. To understand where we come from. By exploring the cosmos like Najma, we end up understanding our planet better.
What did you read in elementary school?
All the books by Chrystine Brouillet from La Courte Escale! And I grew up with Harry Potter. I was 11-12 when the first book came out, the same age as Harry. I remember we reserved our copy in advance at the bookstore when a new volume came out. We were lining up at midnight to buy it!
You like challenges! Who is your neighbor?
I’m working on a space telescope that will launch in early 2025. Then I don’t know. I’m always looking to do something new. When we went skiing when I was young, I would say: “If I didn’t fall today, that means I didn’t try hard enough.”
This is what I still apply in my life: if I don’t make mistakes, if I don’t fail, that means I’m not trying hard enough. It’s hard to go through these moments when you feel less comfortable. But it’s so worth it when you end up learning or achieving something!
And you, if you wrote a book, who would be the hero or heroine of your story?
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