Randa Abd Al-Aziz
Randa Abd Al-Aziz | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1996 Baghdad, Iraq |
| Occupation(s) | News presenter, journalist |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Known for | First Afro-Iraqi news anchor on Al Iraqiya |
Randa Abd Al-Aziz (; born around 1996) is an Iraqi news presenter and journalist. She holds the distinction of being the first Afro-Iraqi to feature on the nation's official media outlets and has served as a co-anchor for Al Iraqiya news since September 2021.
Early life
Raised in a middle-income family in Baghdad, Al-Aziz's father was engaged in business while her mother ran a stationery store. She completed her studies in Agricultural Economics and initially pursued a career in import distribution before transitioning into the field of journalism.
Journalism career
Al-Aziz was identified as a potential news presenter while practicing Classical Arabic—a language standard among Iraqi broadcasters—at a café in Baghdad. Following this, she completed six months of intensive training focused on voice modulation, language skills, and Iraqi political affairs. Her recruitment aligned with an initiative led by Nabil Jasim, president of the Iraqi Media Network, aimed at enhancing representation of Iraq’s diverse population, which includes approximately 1.5 million Afro-Iraqis.
Her selection generated some debate within the media organization; she is the first Afro-Iraqi to be employed by Al Iraqiya since its establishment in 2003 and is likely the first to occupy a significant journalistic position since the era of Saddam Hussein. Al-Aziz made her debut as a news anchor on Iraqiya TV in September 2020, with the goal of motivating Black Iraqis by demonstrating that "the colour of our skin will not stop us."
Among her role models are French-Lebanese journalist Randa Habib, Algerian journalist Khadija Benguenna, as well as broadcasters Radio Monte Carlo and the BBC.