Cartooning Syria…

and the Rest of the World

While the Syrian Regime and its Russian allies continue to bomb civilians in the North of Syria, the world has witnessed quite a dramatic year in 2020, from the devastating explosion in Beirut to populist politics in the USA, the murder of George Floyd and the recent terrorist attacks in France. Syrian cartoonists, in Syria and in exile, have been responding, documenting and commenting on these global events, keeping Syria at the heart of their work, especially as the Syrian issue falls by the wayside in mainstream media.

Alone but together, Syrian cartoonists continue to play their role as global citizens, standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement for example, and reflecting on the most wide reaching event of the year worldwide: Coronavirus!

This new virtual exhibition features more than a hundred new cartoons by 33 Syrian artists in collaboration with Cartooning Syria, a project that started in 2017 in Amsterdam and has held several exhibitions across the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. This is Cartooning Syria’s first virtual exhibition.

The revised and expanded edition of the book Cartooning Syria features 156 cartoons by 39 Syrian cartoonists, together with cartoons from Dutch, Flemish, Norwegian and German colleagues. You will also find articles about Syrian cartoonists and cartoons and the meaning of cartoons in general. The book is dedicated to Palestian-Syrian cartoonist Akram Raslan (1974-2013) who was imprisoned and killed in Syrian prisons and to cartoonist-activist Raed Fares (1972-2018) who was killed in the streets of Kafranbel, Syria. If you want to get a copy of the book, please contact info@syriandreams.nl

Syria 2020

Unsurprisingly, the situation in Syria, both politically and for people on the grounds, has been at the centre of Syrian cartoonists' attention, especially as the bombings of Idlib continues on a daily basis, unnoticed international media.

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Beirut

Many Syrian cartoonists know Beirut like the back of their hand, a city that to them symbolises resilience and hope. It is therefore expected that their work would reflect the pain resulting from the explosion at Beirut Port on 4 August 2020.

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Coronavirus

Surely, it’s not just Syrian cartoonists who view the coronavirus pandemic has a hugely relevant political context which they see as their responsibility to highlight and expose…

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Trump

Donald Trump will, for ever, be one of the most controversial characters in the history of politics, a man whose hair, as well as other things about him, gave Syrian cartoonists a lot of ideas!

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Black Lives Matter

The struggle against all forms of racism, discrimination and injustice is arguably what cartooning is all about. The killing of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 and the following protests Syrian cartoonists, themselves ‘experts by experience’ of what injustice feels like.

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France

The Syrian people have arguably suffered more from terrorism, including state terrorism, more than any other people in the 21st century. Freedom of speech and expression has been one of the main reasons the 2011 Syrian Revolution broke out. Syrian cartoonists’ standing against terrorism and with freedom of speech is therefore inevitable.

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Syrian Chairs

The chairs in Syrian cartoons symbolize the abuse power in politics, from the early beginnings as a metaphor under censorship in Syria. Now as an icon for all dictatorships.

Syrian Chairs

The chair in Syrian’ consciousness and conversations has always been a symbol of the authoritarian nature of the regime and the corruption and abuse of power by government figures and other politicians in Syria and abroad.

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Meet the Cartoonists

Yaser Ahmad

Yaser Ahmad (1977, Qamashli) lives in Turkey. He studied education and worked as a teacher and simultaneously as a cartoonist in Qamashli. He was a cartoonist for magazines and newspapers in uae, Kuwait and Qatar. He left Syria in 2013. Now he is a cartoonist for the Arab newspaper in London and Makkah newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Yaser Ahmad won the Arab Journalism Award in Dubai.

Wissam Asaad

Wissam Asaad (1976, Damascus) lives in Damascus. He has a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. Wissam Asaad was a cartoonist for the Syrian economic weekly newspaper (2006-2012), cartoonist for Magazine Juhaynah Syria (2007-2012), a cartoonist for trade and business magazines (2009-2012). He received the first prize in the 2nd International Cartoon Contest Sinaloa in Mexico 2013 and was one of the ten winners of the 15thInternational Editorial Cartoon Competition 2015.

Sulafa Hijazi

Sulafa Hijazi (Damascus) lives in Berlin. She studied at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Syria, where she majored in dramatic studies, and at the Städelschule Art Academy in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in the class of Judith Hopf. Sulafa Hijazi is a visual artist, director and producer. Hijazi began her professional career as a writer and director of animation TV-series and for other film and media productions, with a particular focus on children’s education and social development. In addition, she was a member of the founding team of Spacetoon, “the first free Arabic satellite channel for kids”, and a board member of cifej International Center of Films for Children and Young People since 2012.
Hijazi has received several awards for her work, among them at the Iran international children- and family film festival for her latest feature animation The Jasmine Birds. Hijazi's artwork and illustrations have been exhibited in several galleries in Europe and featured in social media newspapers, and on Internet websites as part of the Syrian rising art movement.

Sameer Khalili

Sameer Khalili (1990, Homs) lives in Leusden (The Netherlands). He studies Information and Communication Technology at the University of Utrecht. Sameer Khalili is a graphic designer and cartoonist.

Saad Hajo

Saad Hajo (1968, Damascus) lives in Sweden. He obtained a bachelor’s degree at the Art University in Damascus in 1989. He has worked daily for the last twenty years as a satirical cartoonist for the newspaper As-Safir in Beirut. He also worked for the newspaper An-Nahar, also in Beirut, the weekly newspaper Al-Ahram Alarabi in Cairo, and after moving to Sweden for Folkbladet. Saad Hajo has published internationally and organized international cartoon exhibitions. In 2004, he was a jury mfember for the Aydin Dogan International Caricature Competition, in Istanbul. In 2015, he was ewk (Ewert Karsson)-prize winner.

Ryan Altounji

Ryan Altounji (1992, Aleppo) lives in Aleppo. He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (Graphic Design) at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Aleppo. After graduating he started teaching graphic design at Said college from 2014-2016. In 2015, he worked on three projects for the United Nations Development Program (undp) Syria designing banners and logos, and he participated in shows for multiple charity art galleries in Aleppo. Ryan Altounji also worked with the Ministry of Tourism in Syria on an animated short film. In 2016, he worked on project Jeser (Bridge) with undp Syria (Damascus) as an illustrator for a comic book that aimed to put Syria's historical sites in the spotlight.

Ronald Bos

Ronald Bos (1948) is a Dutch documentary maker and publicist about writers and poets, among them Faraj Bayrakdar. He worked for the Dutch Foundation for Literature and was a board member of Dutch PEN. Ronald Bos is the initiator and curator of Cartooning Syria.

Neveen Al Dalati

Neveen Aldalati (1981, Zabadani / Damascus) lives in Istanbul. She is journalist and says cartooning is her hobby. Neveen studied English Language and Literature at Damascus University. From 2012 – 2015 she was journalist and editing manager for Magazine Oxygen and produced a weekly caricature. From 2014 she works at Al Kul Radio Station, where she presents a daily show that focuses on Syrian women. She also works for Mada Syria website. Neveen worked under several nick names.

Mwafaq Katt

Mwafaq Katt (1955, Damascus) lives in Toronto, Canada. In 1974, he published his first political cartoons in the Communist Youth Union’s secret newspaper. In 1975, the Youth Union offered him a scholarship to study art in Moscow. He worked for The Moscow News as a cartoonist. In 1982, he graduated with a Master of Arts, having majored in animation. After his military service Mwafaq Katt worked for Syrian TV and became the head of animation from 2009 till 2011. He was also professor in animation, illustration and visual arts at the University of Kalamoon, the International University of Science and Technology and The Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Syria (2008-2011). After the beginning of the Syrian Revolution in March 2011, Mwafaq Katt, his wife and two children moved to Canada, where he continues his artistic work. He recently won the Arab Cartoon Award in Qatar.

Mohammed Seyda

Mohammed Seyda (Sida) (1976, Syria) lives in Gävle, Sweden. He works as a designer.

Mahmoud Salameh

Mahmoud Salameh (1972, Yarmouk/Damascus) lives in Australia. He is cartoonist, animation filmmaker and graphic artist. Mahmoud worked in Syria an Lebanon for magazines as Al Safir and Al Adaab. He published in The Guardian and on ABC website in Australia. Animation films for Spacetoons and Tiger Productions. Mahmoud is ‘passionate about social justice’ and uses art to promote human rights. The messages in his work address injustice around the world.

Mahmoud Al Bahra

Mahmoud Al-Bahra (1965, Damascus) lives in Berlin. He studied at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Damascus from 1984-1989 and obtained his PhD at the Humboldt-Universität Berlin in 2003. His cartoons can be viewed online on Cartoonist Mahmoud Al Bahra facebook or Instagram.

Cartooning Syria…

and the Rest of the World

Syria 2020

Beirut

Coronavirus

Trump

Black Lives Matter

France

Syrian Chairs

Syrian Chairs

Meet the Cartoonists

+44 161 222 9779

+44 7730 194083

info@rrsoc.org