To My Mother, Rana Raouda: A Life Painted with Courage
My mother, Rana Raouda, never chose to become an artist. She simply stayed true to the artist she always was. From the moment she could hold a pencil, she knew—art was part of her. It was never a decision. It was who she was.
She grew up during the civil war in Lebanon, when everything outside her window felt broken and harsh. But even then, even as a young girl, she would look up at the sky and imagine beauty, imagine love. When the world was falling apart around her, she chose to dream. She chose to create.
Being a woman artist was never easy. A woman carries so much: she is a mother, a sister, a wife, a home. My mother carried all of it—and still, she never let go of her art. No matter how heavy life became, she found a way to give space to her creativity, to let it breathe, to let it live.
For her, art is life. It’s her language, her way of being in the world. She cannot paint when sadness overwhelms her. Music guides her brush, and emotion fills every color she touches. During the 2024 war, when Lebanon and Gaza bled, her paintings changed. They carried her heartbreak. They carried the grief of so many. But even then, even in sorrow, she kept creating—because she had to. Because she could not imagine life any other way.
Each painting she makes is different, because every moment of her life is different. Her art follows her feelings, her hopes, her wounds, her dreams.
She always tells me that if you feel the need to create, you must. “It’s a blessing to create,” she says. And she means it with every fiber of her being.
My mother is not only a talented artist. She is one of the strongest, most courageous women I know. She chose beauty when the world gave her ugliness. She chose love when there was fear. She chose to keep creating, even when it was the harder road to take.
I am proud beyond words to be her daughter.
For my incredible mother, who showed me that creating is an act of hope, and loving is an act of courage.
Chloe Khoury
Chloe is a Lebanese filmmaker and photographer whose work centers on social issues, personal struggles, and underrepresented voices in Lebanon. With a background in communications and an MA in Marketing and Sustainable Development, she uses her camera as a tool for advocacy and storytelling. Her work has been recognized and exhibited at CAMERA Torino (in partnership with ICP), Olhares Do Mediterraneo Film Festival, Beirut Art District, and Gulf Photo Plus. Through her lens, Chloe connects deeply with people and places—turning the act of photographing into a powerful form of witnessing and belonging.
- Chloe Khoury
- Chloe Khoury
- Chloe Khoury
- Chloe Khoury
