Voices of Gaza

Application summary

Voices of Gaza is a two-year multidisciplinary cultural project by Palestinian writer Randa J. Aldawoudi, in collaboration with Tammi Publishing and European cultural partners. At its core is a nonfiction book written in Arabic, translated by Sampsa Peltonen, and to be published in Finnish by Tammi, 2026. This will be the first feminist book to document the lives of women and children in Gaza, offering perspectives that have never been represented in mainstream media. The book also addresses historical and political realities, including how people in Gaza perceive Hamas, providing an authentic narrative often absent from global discussions. And it documents the everyday lives of women and children in Gaza before and during the genocide, breaking stereotypes and preserving memory. From this foundation, the project expands into multiple formats: an exhibition in Turku (Christmas in Palestine, with Teemu Mäki & Critical Gallery), a second exhibition under discussion with European museum partners, a bilingual podcast series (English/Finnish), healing-oriented creative writing workshops designed specifically for women in Finland, Jordan, and Egypt, and a stage performance in collaboration with Espoo Theatre in autumn 2027. The workshops will combine breathing practices, writing, and storytelling as tools for resilience and recovery, enabling women who have lived through loss and trauma to reclaim their voices. This project is more than documentation, it is my way back to life after witnessing so much death in Gaza. Through each chapter, exhibition, and voice recorded, I rebuild not only memory but also hope. My work has always been about creating safe spaces for women and children who have lived through pain and loss. With Voices of Gaza, I aim to offer them, and myself, a platform where survival becomes creativity, and stories become life.