Dubai: Iraqi journalist and writer Inam Kachachi has been honored with the “Best Columnist” award at the 25th Arab Media Awards ceremony, held during the Arab Media Summit 2026 in Dubai. This accolade marks a significant milestone in her professional and literary career spanning over five decades, reinforcing her position as a leading Iraqi voice in Arab journalism and literature.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Kachachi’s recognition from the Arab Media Awards underscores her dual role as a journalist and columnist, remaining devoted to journalism while also establishing a notable career as a novelist. Born in Baghdad in 1952, Kachachi pursued journalism at the University of Baghdad, launching her career in Iraqi newspapers and radio before relocating to Paris in 1979 for postgraduate studies.
In Paris, Kachachi continued her academic pursuits at Sorbonne University, where she earned a doctorate in 1986 with a dissertation focused on press campaigns. Her move to Paris marked the beginning of a new
chapter in her journalistic endeavors, maintaining her connection to Iraqi and Arab journalism from abroad.
Kachachi contributed to several Arab expatriate magazines, holding editorial roles and writing columns for publications such as Al-Watan Al-Arabi, Al-Hiwar, and Al-Dawliya. Her journalism career in Paris included work as a correspondent for Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper and Kull Al-Usra magazine, where she documented transformations in Iraq and the broader region.
Kachachi ventured into novel writing later in her career, publishing “Sawaqi al-Qulub” (Waterwheels of the Heart) in 2005, followed by “Al-Hafidha al-Amrikiya” (The American Granddaughter) in 2008, which was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2009. Her subsequent novels, “Tashari” and “Al-Nabidha” (The Wine), also achieved recognition, with “Al-Nabidha” reaching the shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2019.
Beyond novels, Kachachi has authored biographies and documentaries, including a book on
British journalist Lorna Hales and a French publication on Iraqi women’s literature during war years. In 2004, she produced a documentary on Naziha al-Dulaimi, the first woman to hold a ministerial position in an Arab country in 1959.
Kachachi’s work has been acknowledged not only through literary nominations but also through awards such as the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award in 2025 for her contributions to short stories, novels, and plays, highlighting her literary narrative skills and exploration of themes like identity, exile, alienation, and nostalgia.