freepalestine
22nd July 2012, 21:26
Naji Al Ali: Immortal Palestinian cartoonist
By Lubna Khader
Star Staff Writer
With daring drawings on the walls of the Palestinian camp 'Ain Al Helwa in south Lebanon, his professional life started, and with daring drawings in the most prestigious Arab newspapers, his life ended.
He is Naji Al Ali, probably, the only cartoonist who pushed Arabs from the tip of the Atlantic to the gulf, to read the newspaper from back to front to get a glimpse of his daily caricature.
Naji Al Ali was born in 1937 in the village of Al Shajara between Nazareth and Tiberias in Palestine. In 1948 and at the age of 10, the young boy as many others, was forced out of Palestine. Naji along with his family settled down in 'Ain Al Helwa refugee camp in Sidon in the South of Lebanon.
"As other kids in refugee camps, I was facing harsh times, and one of the ways of expressing my frustrations and agonies on the situation of Palestinians in refugee camps was through organizing and participating in demonstrations which almost always led me to prison," Naji Al Ali once said
And the young man's love for drawing actually started in prison.
"I was in prison several times and each time I took along a pencil and drew on the prison walls," the young artist said. Naji Al Ali used his pencil to portray the harsh situation of Palestinians and their struggle for freedom and return home.
The talent of Al Ali was revealed to the world by pure chance. During a visit to 'Ain Al Helwa camp, the well-known Palestinian novelist and journalist Ghassan Kanafani discovered the drawings of Naji Al Ali. Kanafani inquired about the artist and encouraged him to pursue this as a career. He was the first to publish some of his drawings in Al Houria, a magazine whose editor was Kanafani.
Naji Al Ali finished his school education in Sidon but was unable to finish higher education in the Art institute he has enrolled in because of his family's difficult financial situation. In the beginning of the sixties, the young man left to Kuwait to work in Al Taliah magazine. After few years in Kuwait, the artist went back to Lebanon where he got a job as a cartoonist in one of the Lebanon's pioneering newspapers Al Safeer. He describes this period of his life as the best in his career. "I learnt through my pen to face fear and become more productive," During this time, the young cartoonist was moving back and forth between Beirut and Kuwait.
The birth of 'Handala', the famous character which accompanied all his cartoons since the seventies was the breakthrough in Al Ali's professional career. The 10-year-old Handala who never grew old in Al Ali's cartoons, represented the poor Palestinian with all his agonies and frustrations. He was always portrayed barefooted with torn clothes.
A representation of the refugee child, Handala was outspoken, but honest and never said anything but the truth. He always stood with his hands behind his back as a symbol of rejection of all Arab regimes. Regardless of his international fame, Handala never faced the people, he always stood with his back to the public. Handala was the eternal spectator who looked at things from a distance.
Naji Al Ali once said that Handala brought him back to reality. "The birth of Handala was in Kuwait during my work in that country. I was scared that I was slipping into the luxury of life, forgetting my real cause, so I decided to create a character that would represent the honest Palestinian who will always be on people's minds," Naji said.
The work of Naji Al Ali had no boundaries. He published in several prestigious Arab newspapers in Lebanon, Kuwait, Tunisia, Egypt and other countries. His success came from his boldness and honesty. He was not ready to speak up in favor of any Arab regime which made his work a controversial one but distinguished him from other Arab cartoonists. The well-respected cartoonist touched on issues that were considered taboos especially concerning the Palestinian leadership and their practices whether on the political or private level. Naji Al Ali also held several exhibitions of his drawings in different countries around the world.
In 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Naji Al Ali was an eye witness to the terrifying massacre that took place in the Palestinian camp of Sabra and Shatila. The devastating experience urged Al Ali to leave the country he grew up in to settle in Kuwait. During this period, he worked for both Al Qabas and Al Khalij newspapers.
In 1985, and due to political reasons the artist was expelled from Kuwait. He settled in London and continued to work for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas.
On 22 July 1987, he was shot in the head by a gunman as he left Al Qabas newspaper office in London. After five weeks in a coma, he died on 30 August at the age of 49. Naji Al Ali left behind a wife and five children who still reside in London.
One year after his death, Naji Al Ali was awarded by the International Federation of Newspapers' Publishers the 'Annual Golden Pen' award in recognition of his work which expressed freedom of the individual.
Naji Al Ali's honesty and dedication to the truth took his life away from people who desperately awaited his cartoons on daily basis. His commitment to the Palestinian struggle and the suffering of the Palestinian refugees made of him the pioneering Arab cartoonist.
Twelve years after his death, Naji Al Ali's cartoons are still used as a reference to portray the frustrations of Palestinians, Arab defeat, and many other issues touching the core of the Arab world.
The immortal cartoonist will always be remembered as the one who spoke of issues no one else dared to speak of.
26 August 1999
http://www.najialali.com/articles_03.html
ifoDAO61ew0
By Lubna Khader
Star Staff Writer
With daring drawings on the walls of the Palestinian camp 'Ain Al Helwa in south Lebanon, his professional life started, and with daring drawings in the most prestigious Arab newspapers, his life ended.
He is Naji Al Ali, probably, the only cartoonist who pushed Arabs from the tip of the Atlantic to the gulf, to read the newspaper from back to front to get a glimpse of his daily caricature.
Naji Al Ali was born in 1937 in the village of Al Shajara between Nazareth and Tiberias in Palestine. In 1948 and at the age of 10, the young boy as many others, was forced out of Palestine. Naji along with his family settled down in 'Ain Al Helwa refugee camp in Sidon in the South of Lebanon.
"As other kids in refugee camps, I was facing harsh times, and one of the ways of expressing my frustrations and agonies on the situation of Palestinians in refugee camps was through organizing and participating in demonstrations which almost always led me to prison," Naji Al Ali once said
And the young man's love for drawing actually started in prison.
"I was in prison several times and each time I took along a pencil and drew on the prison walls," the young artist said. Naji Al Ali used his pencil to portray the harsh situation of Palestinians and their struggle for freedom and return home.
The talent of Al Ali was revealed to the world by pure chance. During a visit to 'Ain Al Helwa camp, the well-known Palestinian novelist and journalist Ghassan Kanafani discovered the drawings of Naji Al Ali. Kanafani inquired about the artist and encouraged him to pursue this as a career. He was the first to publish some of his drawings in Al Houria, a magazine whose editor was Kanafani.
Naji Al Ali finished his school education in Sidon but was unable to finish higher education in the Art institute he has enrolled in because of his family's difficult financial situation. In the beginning of the sixties, the young man left to Kuwait to work in Al Taliah magazine. After few years in Kuwait, the artist went back to Lebanon where he got a job as a cartoonist in one of the Lebanon's pioneering newspapers Al Safeer. He describes this period of his life as the best in his career. "I learnt through my pen to face fear and become more productive," During this time, the young cartoonist was moving back and forth between Beirut and Kuwait.
The birth of 'Handala', the famous character which accompanied all his cartoons since the seventies was the breakthrough in Al Ali's professional career. The 10-year-old Handala who never grew old in Al Ali's cartoons, represented the poor Palestinian with all his agonies and frustrations. He was always portrayed barefooted with torn clothes.
A representation of the refugee child, Handala was outspoken, but honest and never said anything but the truth. He always stood with his hands behind his back as a symbol of rejection of all Arab regimes. Regardless of his international fame, Handala never faced the people, he always stood with his back to the public. Handala was the eternal spectator who looked at things from a distance.
Naji Al Ali once said that Handala brought him back to reality. "The birth of Handala was in Kuwait during my work in that country. I was scared that I was slipping into the luxury of life, forgetting my real cause, so I decided to create a character that would represent the honest Palestinian who will always be on people's minds," Naji said.
The work of Naji Al Ali had no boundaries. He published in several prestigious Arab newspapers in Lebanon, Kuwait, Tunisia, Egypt and other countries. His success came from his boldness and honesty. He was not ready to speak up in favor of any Arab regime which made his work a controversial one but distinguished him from other Arab cartoonists. The well-respected cartoonist touched on issues that were considered taboos especially concerning the Palestinian leadership and their practices whether on the political or private level. Naji Al Ali also held several exhibitions of his drawings in different countries around the world.
In 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Naji Al Ali was an eye witness to the terrifying massacre that took place in the Palestinian camp of Sabra and Shatila. The devastating experience urged Al Ali to leave the country he grew up in to settle in Kuwait. During this period, he worked for both Al Qabas and Al Khalij newspapers.
In 1985, and due to political reasons the artist was expelled from Kuwait. He settled in London and continued to work for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas.
On 22 July 1987, he was shot in the head by a gunman as he left Al Qabas newspaper office in London. After five weeks in a coma, he died on 30 August at the age of 49. Naji Al Ali left behind a wife and five children who still reside in London.
One year after his death, Naji Al Ali was awarded by the International Federation of Newspapers' Publishers the 'Annual Golden Pen' award in recognition of his work which expressed freedom of the individual.
Naji Al Ali's honesty and dedication to the truth took his life away from people who desperately awaited his cartoons on daily basis. His commitment to the Palestinian struggle and the suffering of the Palestinian refugees made of him the pioneering Arab cartoonist.
Twelve years after his death, Naji Al Ali's cartoons are still used as a reference to portray the frustrations of Palestinians, Arab defeat, and many other issues touching the core of the Arab world.
The immortal cartoonist will always be remembered as the one who spoke of issues no one else dared to speak of.
26 August 1999
http://www.najialali.com/articles_03.html
ifoDAO61ew0