REFUGEE CHILDREN GIVE HANDALA A FACE

Feb 19-2010

In a warm-up exercise for a digital workshop in the Madaba Palestinian Refugee Camp, Jordan, children were asked to draw the hidden face of the iconic comic character Handala, the brainchild of genius cartoonist Naji Al-Ali who was assassinated in 1987 by Israeli death squads.

Handala has become an icon for the Orwellian world of the Palestinian Diaspora, and the creative ulterego of generations of Palestinian and progressive artists. In hundreds of comic strips by Naji Al-Ali, not once do we see the face of the character Handala in circulated comics.

At various times, pro-Israeli groups have fought to suppress his artwork along with the traditional Palestinian head cover, the Kuffiyah, which has become a globally recognized fashion statement for millions of progressives worldwide.

Naji Al-Ali fan website
http://www.najialali.com

Handala Cartoons Are Spoken For by Refugee Children
http://jordanianfilms.com/feb-19-10-hanthalaspeaks.htm

Madaba Palestinian Refugee Camp Animation Workshop
http://micronas.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/scratch-madaba

 

 

http://JordanianFilms.com