ABOUT RANDA

The Person Behind the Stories

Randa Al-Dawoudi is a Palestinian author and Helsinki-based cultural producer whose work bridges worlds. Through evocative storytelling and community curation, she explores the delicate intersections of heritage, exile, and the quiet resilience of human connection. Her editorial focus uncovers narratives often left in the margins, preserving memory with profound sensitivity.

MY STORY

Where the Story Began

An odyssey of words spanning from the warm Mediterranean shores of Gaza to the cutting-edge cultural landscape of Helsinki. This is a narrative defined by the quiet power of translation, remembrance, and the stories that anchor us across borders.

Randa Al-Dawoudi - Editorial Literary Archive

I. Childhood & Gaza

Growing up on the Gaza coast, my early imagination was shaped by the delicate fragrance of jasmine and the weight of oral histories shared under olive trees. The landscape of my youth taught me that memory is a form of preservation, and storytelling is an act of survival.

II. Writing & Journalism

Words became my sanctuary and instrument. Cultivating a voice in journalism and creative non-fiction, I sought to chronicle the nuanced realities of diaspora and identity. Through essays and translations, I translate personal grief into universal bridges of understanding.

III. Helsinki & Beyond

Today, based in Helsinki, I serve as a cultural producer, weaving together Nordic minimalism with the rich, textured complexity of Arab artistic heritage. Here, I design platforms that amplify marginalized narratives and foster global literary communities.

“How do we protect the complexity of people’s lives from the narratives that try to reduce them?”

AREAS OF WORK

A multidisciplinary practice rooted in narratives, culture, and community dialogue.

01

Writing and Publishing

Crafting poetic narratives, essays, and novels that explore cultural memory, displacement, and the delicate nuances of Palestinian heritage.

02

Journalism

Investigating contemporary social issues, art history, and diaspora politics through rigorous features, profiles, and critical cultural commentary.

03

Speaking and Public Dialogue

Delivering keynote lectures and facilitating public talks that bridge critical theory, intersectional feminism, and SWANA artistic expressions.

04

Cultural Projects

Curating and managing cross-border cultural initiatives in Helsinki and beyond, cultivating spaces for artistic collaboration and community building.

05

Workshops and Educational Programmes

Designing alternative learning structures and storytelling labs that empower marginalized voices, enabling archival and creative exploration.

06

Consulting and Strategic Advisory

Assisting cultural institutions, festivals, and publishers in navigating ethical collaboration, diversity, and strategic development.

THEMES & FOCUS

Memory, identity and belonging
Media representation and the creation of public narratives
Cultural dialogue between Europe and the Middle East
The ways people create life under extraordinary circumstances
War, trauma and the human body
Oral history and collective memory

Love, relationships and human connection
Literary nonfiction and personal testimony
Political and patriarchal power and its influence on individual lives
Women, children and everyday life in conflict
The power of stories to preserve memory and resist simplification
Home, displacement and exile

Let’s Create Something Meaningful

Randa collaborates with publishers, literary agents, universities, cultural institutions, media organisations, artists and creative professionals on speaking engagements, cultural projects, workshops, consulting and international partnerships.

Collaborate with Randa