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Article 310: Handala and the Cartoons of Naji al-Ali, By: Dr. Fayeq Oweis ? Part VI

Posted By Hasan A. Yahya, Ph.Ds- Dryahyatv from USA.

Symbols in the cartoons of Naji al-Ali: Visual vocabulary: In addition to the symbolic use of his own characters (Handala, al-Zalama, Fatima, and the Evil Man), Naji al-Ali employed a number of other symbols in his cartoons. These, along with the characters, can be called al-Ali’s “visual vocabulary” that became very familiar to his readers. The majority of his cartoons were simple and clear and he stayed away from complicated concepts.  The symbols he used can be divided into three major categories: symbols of good values, symbols of the Palestinian struggle, and symbols of oppression and occupation. 

Symbols of Good Values: Since the majority of al-Ali’s cartoons dealt with the clashes between good and evil, he used a number of symbols to represent the values of hope, love, peace, prosperity, dignity, democracy, human rights, opportunity for all, education, freedom of expression, and attachment to the land.  Flowers, and especially daisies, appear frequently in the cartoons as signs of hope, love, and prosperity.  They grow in the middle of destroyed refugee camps; they grow from the graves of the martyrs of Sabra and Shatila; they grow from inside abandoned oil barrels and they are presented as gifts by Handala to the wounded Beirut during the Israeli invasion.  The love for the land, for Palestine and for Lebanon, is represented by hearts, trees, roots, and Lebanese cedars. The head of wheat symbolizes prosperity and the agricultural land of Palestine. Hearts drawn by the blood of Palestinian freedom fighters show their love for Lebanon and Palestine.  The pen becomes a sword that can cut through the microphones stands of the official Arab radio stations.  The pen changes to become a candle that represents hope for the future, a future of freedom, democracy and human rights.  

Symbols of Palestinian Struggle: Many symbols represent the Palestinian resistance and struggle, the right of return to Palestine, and national and cultural identity of Palestinians.  Jesus Christ and the cross appear frequently, signifying struggle, passion, and suffering.  Jesus appears as a refugee, a wanted person, as a Palestinian and an Arab person. In some cartoons, al-Ali showed Palestinian freedom fighters being crucified.  In another,  a fighter leaves the ship that took him from Lebanon after the Israeli invasion of 1982, and returns using the cross as a raft and saying “We missed you Beirut.” Al-Ali was fascinated with the cross and one of his self-portraits contained the cross as part of his name and signature. The house key that Fatima wears around her neck and her tears that become key holes represent the right of return to Palestine. The house key is a symbol of attachment to the land of Palestine and to the houses that were left behind. The key also represents life in the refugee camps.  Al-Ali used cultural elements such as Palestinian embroidery, folkloric songs and proverbs throughout his cartoons.  Palestinian national symbols such as the flag, the kufiya, the map of historic Palestine and the camouflage clothes of the Palestinian freedom fighter, acknowledge the right to resist and the right to fight against aggression and occupation.  The kufiya represents a national resistance and cultural identity when it is worn by the freedom fighter wrapped around his head.  It is a symbol of love when wrapped around the shoulders of a woman representing Egypt defying its leaders signing the Camp David accords. It is also a sign of love when it worn by the lady Beirut.  But when the kufiya is worn by the Evil Man in the form of a neck-tie or a tourist hat, it represents the imposter and his role in trying to take advantage of the resistance. When the kufiya is worn by the contractor Abdul-Kader, it represents the bourgeois segment of Palestinian society. Rocks are symbols resistance to the Israeli occupation thrown by Palestinian children at soldiers carrying their loaded machine guns or driving tanks.  Refugee tents are signs of the living situation in the refugee camps.  The tents are also used as a canvas to write messages taken from Arabic classical poetry. The passports that appear in the cartoons are meant to show that Palestinians do not have their own, and in some cases to represent the temporary document given to the Palestinian refugees by Arab states.  Cactus plants and the word sabr (the name of the cactus plant and also the Arabic word for patience) appear frequently in the cartoons.  The word represents the waiting of the Palestinians for a just solution and the plant itself represents the land.  A number of Palestinians who were allowed to go and visit their original hometowns destroyed in 1948, identified the location of their homes from the surrounding cactus plants that had grown back after being uprooted.

References and Resources:

Al-Asadi, Abdu and Tadmuri, Kholud. A Study in the Creativity of Naji al-Ali [in Arabic]. Dar il-Kunuuz al-Adabiyya, Beirut, Lebanon: 1994

Al-Ali, Naji. The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali [in Arabic] Forwarded by Mahmoud Darwish. Beirut, Lebanon: 1976.

Ibrahim, Daoud. Encyclopedia of Naji al-Ali Cartoons, Vol. 1: The Man and the Revolutionary [in Arabic]. Palestinian Publishing Institute, Ramallah, Palestine: 2003

Ibrahim, Daoud. Naji al-Ali, the Life and Death of a Palestinian Artist [in Arabic]. Yarmouk Publishing Institute, Ramallah, Palestine: 1988.

Idris Samah (Ed.). Sihr ilKkaraama [The Magic of Dignity – in Arabic], Al-Adab Magazine. Vol. 50 # 9-10. Beirut, Lebanon: 2002

Kallam, Mahmoud Abdallah. Naji al-Ali, The Whole of Palestine: That is why they killed me [in Arabic] Bisan Publishing, Beirut, Lebanon: 2001

Web sites:

http://knol.google.com/k/handala-and-the-cartoons-of-naji-al-ali# http://www.oweis.com/handala.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naji_Salim_al-Ali

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Some cool marrakech images:

Our first day in Marrakech (part two)


Image by 4lfie
Melanie Crifth! posted from moblog moblog.net/view/915424/our-first-day-in-marrakech-part-two

Al Bahia Palace, Marrakech


Image by Jeroen Moes
This is inside Al Bahia Palace in Marrakech, Morocco (see here).

My second attempt at an HDR image (handheld shots again).

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Hassan El Fad – Chanily TV – Episode 25 (Part 1) Part 2 : www.youtube.com
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How do we shoot a show? What super-cool tech do we use to bring you the best podcasts? We’ll let you in on all our secrets…

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www.samiradaily.com Samira Said was the guest of the tv program ‘Al Qahera Al Youm’ on Orbit Tv 4 September 2008
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Leaders discussion on Hyderabad as common capital, Seemandhra leaders and Telangana leaders meet to discuss about Hyderabad, Telangana leaders accept for discussing Telangana and Seemandhra

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Edddie Griffin 2011 stand up comedy live, you can tell ‘em i said it
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13.07.1985, London (Wembley Stadium), England Most of top artists of that time were present at this mega-famous festival and Queen of course had to be there. Each artist got from ten to twenty minutes for their show; no playback or soundcheck were allowed. Queen hesitated because playing without a soundcheck is always a risk. But then they accepted the rules and their 20 minutes of fame came on at 18:44 GMT. Queen were on top form and not only according to Bob Geldof and Elton John, they stole the show. They played only the intro to Bohemian Rhapsody (the opera part couldn’t be played from the tape as playback was forbidden & there wasn’t enough time anyway). Instead of the opera part, Radio Ga Ga followed. We Will Rock You was reduced to the first verse (and the final guitar solo) only. Is This The World We Created was performed by Freddie and Brian only later in the evening. 01: Bohemian Rhapsody (Intro) 02: Radio Ga Ga

Find more info here: www.facebook.com Don’t forget to follow Play & Win on twitter: twitter.com
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The war of words between the Obama administration and Fox News, and the hoaxes played on the news media
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See tgn.tv — Links to news discussed in the video Scam E-mails Article: services.runescape.com Further advice on scam e-mails: services.runescape.com Member’s Activity Weekend: services.runescape.com More info about the Activity Weekend: services.runescape.com Golden Gnome Awards Article: services.runescape.com Excl’s video guide on making videos: youtu.be Finalists from last year’s Golden Gnome Awards (Number 7 won with the lumbridge song, the quality is actually pretty good I was thinking of something else when I said it wasn’t): youtu.be Members Loyalty Programme Article: services.runescape.com Members Loyalty Rewards Trailer: www.youtube.com LegionOfTom’s Channel: www.youtube.com RuneScape Updates for Monday 22nd-23rd June 2011 Video by LegionOfTom and TGN Tell us what you think in the comments below. If you like this video, click “Like” and Subscribe to our channel to get more! =-=-=-= ? TGN — Get more views! See tgn.tv ? TGN Times — Get more news! See http ? TGN Stratics — Discover Stratics! See stratics.com ? Follow us on Twitter! See http ? Join us on Facebook! See facebook.tgn.tv
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by UggBoy?UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ]

Kishanganj : Insan School: Dr. Syed Hasan [Part# 24]

Although Dr. Syed Hasan was a highly educated star but as it seemed that he was a big anti academic person. His aim was to become a high notable personality in the field of education without any written or published work. For this target the existing academic structure was not suitable to him. So in order to raise himself high, he worked out to break the educational norms of the society. The tradition of brotherly feelings which he outlined between the teachers and the taught is the biggest example of it. He compelled the students to call the teachers with their names adding a suffix  Bhai [Brother] with their names, for example if a teacher’s name is Mozahirul Hasan, he was being called as Mozahir Bhai [ Brother Mozahir]. even the Headmasters, lecturers, and the Principals were being called by the students as Ahad Bhai,[ Brother Ahad]  Shahid Bhai [ Brother Shahid] Shakir Bhai [ Brother Shakir] Abul Hasan Bhai [ Brother Abul Hasan].

I ask simply, was it not an anti academic-structural attitude that destroyed the respectful customary between a teacher and the taught?  If a College student could call his Principal or Professor by his name like Abul Hasan Bhai [Brother Abul Hasan] or Shakir Bhai [Brother Shakir]  how can we imagine that  an ideal respectful academic structure could be shaped in such an environment? I, myself had been always respectful to my teachers. Can I imagine if I could have called my college teacher Dr.Fuzail Ahmed as Fuzail Bhai [Brother Fuzial] or the University professor Dr. Wahab Ashrafi as Wahab Bhai  [ Brother Wahab] ? If I could have done it have been a serious violation of the academic structure and I may have been expelled from the College or the University.

Here is a confusion to which Dr. Syed Hasan tried to exploit as much he could and took its benefit to form an environment where he could achieve his goal. A feeling of brother-hood for all human being is a different thing and to call the respectful figures like Brother X and brother Y is different. One can feel that all human being are brothers to each other, it is good, but I say it repeatedly that if a student could call his Teachers as Brother X or Brother Y and even to the Principal and Vice Chancellor he addresses in the same way it will certainly go against the academic structure to which we cannot get support either from the  society or from the religious institutions. From the School to College and from College to the University we can never get a even a single example for it. If calling teachers as Bhai X and Bhai Y [Brother X and Brother Y]  could have a matter of brother hood the giant educational and religious institutions like Aligarh Muslim University and Darul Uloom Deoband, could have acquired it prior to the Insan School.

Let us imagine if somebody calls Mahatma Gandhi as Gandhi Bhai [Brother Gandhi] Jawaharlal Nehru as Nehru Bhai [Brother Nehru]  or Maullana Abulkalam Azad as Azad Bhai[ Brother Azad] where lies the respect then?  Even you cannot call the Imam of a Mosque [leader of the prayer] like X Bhai or Y Bhai [ X Brother or Y brother]. To show the respect every society has fixed some certain norms to which every member of the society is tied up. We can deceive the society temporarily but we cannot change its norms on our own accord. So this exhibitory  ‘brother-culture’ was nothing but to demolish the respect of a teacher in the society. We have, no doubt, that  Insan School has worked out in the same way and Dr. Syed Hasan succeeded in doing it to achieve his goal fast. When I was a teacher in the High School my nephew Arman Wajid was a student there. I was his teacher of Urdu. In the class room sometimes he drew my attention addressing me “Equbal Bhai…!” [Brother Equbal…!]. I say nothing to him rather than we both enjoyed at that time and the whole class. At that time It was dispensed in our conscience whatever Syed Bhai [Dr. Syed Hasan] says is correct.

This is the secret that when the College was declared the Director forced the Lecturers to cook food by their own hand and not allowed any cook in the College Campus. Even when the students stopped cooperating, the Lecturers were cooking food for the students. When the Director got the news he allowed a cook for College mess but prevented the Lecturers to eat in the mess, even if the College was on a one and half kilometer walk from Bazaar.

[Bravo ….…Dr. Syed Hasan.]

Here is the other example that will turn us to be more astonished about the man who worked as a founder Director of the Insan School/College and got the Padama Shree Award. As on a day It happened in the broad day light in the College Campus. Mr. Abdul Khalique a Lecturer in Political science, was a young man, qualified from Aligarh Muslim University. He was from the village Padampur of Kishanganj District.  One day he came to the College as usual and took his class in the open. The Director moved up the campus habitually. The time was barely 11 o’clock at noon. The golden rays of the sun was brightening the College ground. Green grasses were set forth all around to attract the spectators. The light of the sun showed at a place, laying in the field, the animal waste of a dog. It hurt the Director that why nobody took care of it?  Mr. Abdul Khalique was teaching students in the open nearby. Students were sitting on a bench. Abdul Khalique was sitting on an wooden chair.

The Director came and saw the dog-waste laying nearby. He shouted on Abdul Khalique bluntly, as it was his habit. He blamed him that why he didn’t took care and called upon the peon to get cleaned the animal waste? Abdul Khalique answered in such a way that the Director assumed some sort of self-respect in his sentence. It increased his anger more and more. He said : “Is it civics…..?…… You are teaching Civics? ….. Aren’t you? ……But you don’t take care for the environment? …….have you called the peon to clean the waste? ……. could have you lost your prestige…….?”

Perhaps Abdul Khailque said:

” Syed Bhai ….…what I can do ……….. this is not my responsibility……”

It added fuel to his anger and the Director rapidly raised the dog waste in his hand and put it on his face.

“hhmm…mmm….hhmmm…mmmm….hhmm…mmm…” .He said: “Now look at me…….…this is my prestige ……this is my prestige……look at me…..”

The students and the teachers were frightened. The Director was shouting like a mad. He not even get his face washed  as soon, rather than he kept the dog-waste remaining on his face for hours. He said every body :

“I put the dog-waste on my face…… I don’t hesitate to do so…..I can do anything……I have no prestige …….people are living in false prestige…..let them live in false prestige……..” and that’s the end of the episode. 

Can anyone justify this behavior of the Director? This is the action of the man who has been awarded the Honorable Padamshree award and was further recommended for Padama Bhushan? Has the model personalities have even done such sorts of dirty work. Was it not an anti academic act? Was it not done to destroy the academic structures and values. Was it not done to kill the moral ethics in education? Was it nothing but to give a message to the Lecturer in Political Science Mr. Abdul Khalique and others that  the Director in unbeatable? Was it not a dirty negative egoistic behavior?

We can never expect such kind of behavior with anyone except with a shrewd  tricky hypocrite. Further it is a matter of shame that the Director later described this event joyfully to others. What was his motto and dirty intention behind doing this anti academic-structural unclean act. That is why Malika Rehana, lecturer in History, while being a woman and even belonging to his same Malick community always regarded him as one of the most horrific fraud on the earth. She told me many times that Dr. Syed Hasan is an open education-man and a hidden Dracula. Giving pains to the teachers was his favorite food. A very clever man who born to build his family by deceiving the society.

Once with the intention to break his false eminence and to let people know how worth his contribution is, in the eyes of the experts of his field, I send letters to the different Heads of Psychology and Education Departments in different Universities in India. The letter contented the following message:

 ”To……..I intend to collect views of the experts about the contribution of Dr. Syed Hasan in the field of Psychology and Education……..Signature …..Equbal Wajid”.

Few interesting answers came in response, the one line answer of the Head of the Psychology Department of the  Aligarh Muslim University was one of them. He wrote:

“Dear Dr. Equbal Wajid……. I am sorry to say that I don’t know the person in question…….signature and  stamp ,Head Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University……”

When this letter came Maullana Naeem Qausmi asked me to paste the letter on the wall. So a Xerox copy of the letter was pasted on the head office wall. When the Director viewed the letter he became half mad.  The like minded impotent staff around him were surprised to see the answer. Sooner they got some moral support through the other answer of the Head department of Psychology, Jamia Milliya Islamia, New Delhi. He rather escaped the answer and wrote:

” Dear Dr. Equbal Wajid………What you are doing against a respectful man is not good. I suggest you to mould yourself and respect the personality who is doing a lot for the cause of education……signature and stamp….Head of the Department of Psychology Jamia Millay Islamia, New Delhi.”

And so on the cold war between with the Director continued and it won to partially damage his image as a philanthropist but failed totally to prevent him from the deception he made with the society as well as with the staff of his institution.  [ ……..continued]

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