Umayya Abu-Hanna

Umayya Abu-Hanna (born 17 March 1961) is a Palestinian-Finnish writer, journalist, and former member of the Helsinki City Council born in Haifa, Israel, into a Palestinian family. She moved to Finland in 1981. In 2011 she moved to Amsterdam where she resides with her South African daughter.

Career

In the 1980s Abu-Hanna was a member of the Helsinki City Council (The Green Party) and member of the Real Estate Board of Helsinki. In the 1990s she was a journalist, documentary maker and columnist. She became known to the wider public as the first non-white presenter of the weekly current affairs news-program Ajankohtainen Kakkonen at the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE. In the 2000s she was member of the Arts Council Finland (2004-2009) and was the first chair of its Multicultural Board. Abu-Hanna was also the cultural diversity adviser of the Finnish National Gallery (3 museums of fine art).

Her first novel Nurinkurin was published in 2003. Her book on identity Sinut was published in 2007. A manual for the cultural field Multikulti 2012. A cultural history of modern Helsinki Alienin Silmin 2014. She was the co-writer of "A changing world, perspectives on heritage" with case study of museums in Afghanistan. She is working on a book of ethics for children.

Awards

• "Larin Paraske award", The Kalevala Women's Association 2008
• "Finn of the Year", The Finnish Civic Society 2004
• "Kristiina of the year award 2004", Christina Institute, the University of Helsinki
• Finland Award 2003, Ministry of Education
• Bonnier grand journalist award 2002, for best journalistic innovation of the year