Spanish-Moroccan Actress and Engineer Says Madrid Home Ownership Is Out of Reach
In Madrid, Hajar Brown takes things month by month. The Spanish actress, born to Moroccan parents, also works as an engineer and has more than 100,000 followers online. She explains why buying a home seems beyond her reach.
“A home of my own? Forget it.” Hajar Brown no longer even tries to imagine buying an apartment. Her immediate goal is to be able to pay next month’s rent. She explained this in an interview with Europa Press on October 22.
The young woman juggles several jobs. She came to public attention for her role as Amira in the series SKAM España, and also works as an engineer and has more than 100,000 followers on social media. In her view, even an engineer’s salary is no longer enough to plan confidently for a future in the property market in the Spanish capital.
Her brother has already left Madrid to find a home and preserve what he considers an acceptable quality of life. Hajar fears she may have to take the same path. She was born in the city, where her Moroccan parents settled to build their lives.
“I don’t want to give up my roots”
“I don’t want to give up my roots because of housing,” she says. For her, leaving Madrid would mean starting over elsewhere with a life her parents had specifically set out to build in Spain.
This uncertainty weighs on other plans too: starting a family, organizing her day-to-day life and looking beyond the following month. She now feels that a trip is more attainable than an apartment, and would rather save up to go away for a few days.
The actress has previously spoken about the discrimination she has faced in Spain, particularly in the entertainment industry. Her latest interview comes as she prepares for the play En un minuto, which explores prejudice, immigration and relations between cultures.
She will share the stage with Luna Pamies and Gabriel Márquez. The first performance is scheduled for November 12 at Teatro Cortés in Almoradí, in the province of Alicante.
