In the framework of the Mondiacult 2025 UNESCO congress, which will be held in Barcelona between 29 September and 1 October, the NODES initiative is dedicated to creating spaces for reflection and the exchange of lived experiences around cultural policies.
This year, at NO CALLAREM AR-Barcelona, we are very proud that Marwa Abu Raida is one of our resident artists. During the conference, in which Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky, founders of the international organisation ARTISTS AT RISK (AR)—of which we are a member—will also take part, Marwa will share her personal and artistic experience in exile, exploring the conditions of vulnerability that can shape creative practice and the defence of cultural rights.
Marwa Radi Abu Raida is a Palestinian writer and poet from Gaza. Her work addresses themes such as displacement, resistance, and the possibility of reconciliation. She is the author of the novel Friends of Fearness – Galil and Ozile, which promotes peace between Palestinians and Israelis and has led to persecution by Hamas sympathisers, as well as an Honourable Mention at the Ars Electronica – State of the ART(ist) Awards.
She currently resides in Egypt after fleeing Gaza and continues her literary practice under precarious circumstances, combining philosophy, psychology and poetry. Among her achievements are the play Philosopher and the Wanderer, finalist for the Alaa Al-Jaber Playwriting Award 2025, and the story The Girl Who Cried the Moon, winner of a national children’s literature contest. Her work invites reflection on the hidden scars of occupation, fear and displacement.
Useful links:
- Mondiacult 2025
- Nodes (link to register for the event)