IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 324 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama first appearinginLebanonwithCarnaval andFreudbyJAD,thecomicscollectiveJADWorkshop withtheirpublicationMinBeirutin1989. er Arab nations. In , as in most Arab countries, was localisedanddidnotspreadorspillovertooth- sional andskillfullyproducedthantheir predecessors. fected bytheuprisings.Thesemagazines werethetraininggroundformanyartistscontributingtoadultgenre today, and are farmoreprofes- 1 of localheritageandexperiences. from nothing;itsseedsstem from theregion’s wealth The comicgenreintheArabworldhasnotgrown growing interestandavidfollowing. larly sincetheuprisings,andwithitanunprecedented ber ofcomicsthattargetadultaudiences,particu- cent yearshavewitnessedasuddenriseinthenum- around intheArabworldforover70years.Butre- Comics, especiallythoseforchildren,havebeen aRichHeritageintheRegion Comics: American UniversityofBeirut Mu’taz andRadaSawwaf ComicsInitiative, Associate ProfessorandDirector Lina Ghaibeh Arabic ComicsaftertheRevolution Telling GraphicStoriesoftheRegion: Strategics Sectors|Culture&Society 3 2 Arab Disney andFrenchBelgiancomics.The late70sand80srespondedwithanumberoflocallymadecomicsfor children,suchasthepan- Sindibad, andthelongstandingSamir . Inthe60sand70simportedtranslated comicstookoverthemarket,withAmericansuperheroes, world asfarbacktheearly80sinLebanon, though the adult graphic novel appeared in the Arab ment,” Al- notesarthistorianCharlotte Bank(Bank). long timenothingmorethanchildren’sentertain- concerned, comicsandanimationfilmswerefora “As farasthegeneralpublicinArabworldwas cation oftheWest (Bank). the artisrootedinarichpast,andnotmererepli- local heritageinitspages,ordertoemphasisethat of thishistory, regularlyfeaturingcomicfiguresfrom day, suchasTokTok, liketoremindtheiraudiences Georges This articlestudiesadultcomicsanddoesnotcoverchildren’scomics.Although theyhaveastrongpresencetoday, theywerenotgreatlyaf- Starting asearlythe1920s,itstrue emergencebeganinthe50swithchildren’scomics,whichbecame verypopular,suchasEgypt’s Majed K houry from UAE,thepopularBisatelRihand Ahmad (JAD)’scomicsCarnaval , andSigmundFreud,numerouseditorial comicstrips 2 Magazinesofto- 1 from 3 , andMajalatiinIraq,ashybutpersistentnumber ofadultcomics it meel), the meel), off theendemiccorruptioninfestingitsparts” (Ga- society waiting for a revolutionary moment to shake Shafei’s With theculminationofEgypt’sfirstgraphicnovel paved thewayforalargerfollowingofadultcomics. a followinglocallyandthroughouttheregion,all Lebanese comicperiodicalSamandal, and thelaunchofalternativeexperimental a moremoderatefaceofIslaminthewake9/11, ries, theformationofThe99,fromKuwait,depicting cedar treesofLebanonintheformacomicsse- war, theriseoflocalsuperheroMalakfrom depicting herchildhoodduringtheLebanesecivil tive cused comics.Theunveilingofthepersonalnarra- 2000s throughaseriesofindependentadult-fo- with the cautious revival of the genre in the mid- The foundations were laid for the spread of comics A DecadeofGrowth:PavingtheWay and theregion. targeting adultsbecamemorewidespreadinEgypt graphic novelgenrepubliclyemergedandcomics media, andthelonghistoryprecedingit,that with itscontroversialcontentwidelycoveredinthe was notuntilthearrivalofShafei’sMetroin2008, most oftheearliercomicstargetedchildrenandit Le JeudesHirondellesbyZeinaAbiRashed, Metro in2008,an“autopsyofafragmented stage wassetforthegenretoplayasig- which gained

adult adult comic magazines,allowingonlythestate-released Oussama. 4 result, the choice. State, whichlimitedtheselection,contentand,asa nations thesewereissuedandcontrolledbythe only platformforviewingcomics,andinmostArab Previously, magazinesandpublicationswerethe young comicartistsnowcameintofocus(Bank). by arthistorianCharlotteBank,wheretheworkof ate socialrelevancetothisyoungartform” asnoted The uprisingsgave“freshimpetusandnew, immedi- language ofthestreetandpopularculturetofore. mediums ofexpressionandbroughtthefreshartistic through theInternet.Young artistschallengedtheold banners andcartoons,whichreachedthepublic against the archaic systems in place, using street art, took to the streets visually expressing their rebellion realised theirabilitytogeneratechange.Individuals brought withthemasenseofeuphoria,aspeople Early on,thesuddenonslaughtof‘revolutions’ stantially elevatedtheplaceofcomicsinregion. the internationalattentionartformattractedsub- and mediaallowedformoreprivatepublishing, semination, whilethereducedcontroloverpress ternet andsocialmediaensuredawidespreaddis- dium forcommentary, criticismanddissent.TheIn- of comics, accelerating it through their use as a me- states and governments, greatly affected the spread The Arabuprisings,andthefallofcentralised during theUprisings Expressing aRevolution:theRiseandSpread cessful initiativessince. aswellby other suc- festival inAlgeria,FIBDA, tion wasreinforcedbythelaunchof2008comic The art’snewfoundemergenceandinitialrecogni- sion tobetakenseriously. nificant roleandpresentitselfasaformofexpres- 8 7 6 5 pendently funded(Khoury). adult comicalbumswereself-produced,andinde- lack ofsupport;apartfromthestate-runperiodicals, by thelimited opportunity for publication duetoa lustration; Shennawy, Rahma,Andeel,Makhlouf,and Tawfiq, nowwell-knowncomicstarsintheirownright. Several attemptstostartupcomicmagazines foradultsultimatelyfailedduetoalackofsponsorship” (Bank). “Despite thefactthattherehasbeen anactivecomicsceneinSyriaformanyyears,notgraphicnovelshave beenpublishedtheretodate. BD Koumik2012 featured 14artists, includingNadiaKhiari,creatorofthe popularsatiricalcatWillisfromTunis. S The comicpublicationTokTok, portrayingtheEgyptianstreet,wasinitiated byfiveartistsfrombackgroundsingraphicdesign,cartoonsand- il Realising theimportantroleofcomics inaffectingtheyoungergeneration,,during70sand80s,went asfarprohibitingregional elmi , Othman,Spark:whenArab Spring BlossomsinTunis, 2012 4 The genre was further restricted 5 while Metro, published thecomicBDKoumik. and theTunisian collectiveBandedeBD,which tion, andwhopostedreactionstotheirpredicament, thus ensuring anonymity and, therefore, their protec- work appearedsolelyonlinethroughsocialmedia such astheSyriancollectiveComic4Syria,whose Various comiccollectives emerged duringthistime, Skef Kef,whichbroughtupissuesfromthestreet. hometown Casablanca,andproducedthemagazine published rocco, MohamedAmineBellaoui,AKARebelSpirit, mented thetriggerofrevolutioninSpark. soon after. Tunisian comicartist Othman Selmi docu- and dedicatedtothepromotionofthisartfollowed and fromthestiflingcensorshipplaguingArab countries, andthecallforfreedomfromoppression been dominatedbyheavycensorshipinmostArab Artistic expressioninallitsformshas,foralongtime, Contesting Censorship enthusiasts togetherforitsopening. launched inCairoearly2011,bringinghundredsof TokTok the youth.Thewell-designedandskillfullyillustrated region andprovedhighlypopular,particularlyamong zines. Magazinestacklingadultissuesemergedinthe ments openedthedoortoprivatelypublishedmaga- issued bytheState,fallofcentralisedgovern- As mostcomicmagazinesintheArabnationswere commentary, criticismanddissent through theiruseasamediumfor spread ofcomics,acceleratingit governments, greatlyaffectedthe the centralisedstatesand The Arabuprisings,andthefallof The 9 Shafei launched magazine, founded by five young artists, was magazine, foundedbyfiveyoungartists,was 2014, about his Le guideCasablancaies2014,abouthis th magazine produced by Shennawy ArtmagazineproducedbyShennawy the more political Al Doshma, 8 6 Afterhisnovel 7 InMo-

IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 325 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 326 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama tantly, attaininganonymityfromaggressors. censorship, pushing boundaries and, most impor- dissemination, butalsoactingasameansofevading this medium,greatlyincreasingreadershipsandits mobile phonesplayedamajorroleintheadvanceof Accessibility through the Internet, social media and of the Internet An OnlinePresenceofDefiance:theRole net, infearofbrutalreprisals. ready resorted to posting anonymously on the Inter- making comicscriticaloftheiroppressorshaveal- and less known for targeting adult issues, artists political cartoons, Although comicshavenotenduredthesamefateas crackdown on the media and all forms of expression. and Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood’s harsh well, aswasevidentinEgypt’spost-Mubarakera, Thisapplied toothernationsas sorship (Bousquet). on a new form, shifting from state to religious cen- and newleaderswereappointed.InTunisia ittook tinued to dog artists even after the old regimes fell Unfortunately the practice of artistic censorship con- large followings. artists werenownotonlyabletoshareit,butgained ously unabletoshowtheircontroversialwork,comic Previ - where politicalrepressionisstrong (Mawad). dium to express dissent in places such asSyria, cartoons inparticularhavebecomeasignificantme- Comicsand medium farmoreinfluential(Gameel). in aworld with aprevailing image culture made the cartoons toreachawideraudience.Moreover,living ternative tothewrittenword,enablingcomicsand The visual language of comics offered a powerful al- look atEgypt’srealities” perimenting withnewandmoresubversivestylesto artists, aidedbytherecentrebellions,arenow“ex- Youngthe comicmediumtoexpand(Villa). comic sorship, particularlyinTunisia andEgypt,allowing dom ofexpressionandbroadenthemarginscen- The revolutionshelpedtowidenthescopeoffree- nations was among themainaims of theuprisings. 10 9 evident intheattack oncartoonistAliFarzat,whohadhishands brokenandwasleftinhospital(Mawad). ambiguity thatisdifficulttopinpoint,this didnotstopoppressiveregimesfromresortingtoviolenceinorder silencecartoonists’ voices, aswas Thecrackdownoncartoonsandcartoonists wasinevitableandwidelypracticedduringtheuprisings.And whilecartoonshaveaninherent InTunisia, NadiaKhiariregularlypostedthe popularcharacterWillisfromTunis, acatthatcriticised thepost-revolutionstateofaffairs. 9 beingarelativelynewmedium (El Deeb). spearheaded a growing movement of multidimen- the anonymous [online]groupComic4Syria has essentially monolithicpropagandaoftheregime, Halasa comparestheirwork:“As opposedtothe the bookSyriaSpeaksonartduringuprisings, the turmoil in their country. In her introduction to dia pageComic4Syria, comic collectivefromSyriacreatedthesocialme- each other. parts intheregion,discoveringandnetworkingwith duced totheworksoftheirlesser-knowncounter- other Arabicexperiences;comicartistswereintro- to anincreasedopennesstheWest, butalsoto audience. Thedemocratisationoftheuprisingsled marginal readership,werenowavailabletoawider previously limitedtolocalenthusiastsandavery to newopportunities.Comicartandcomicartists, case andsharetheirwork,therebyopeningthedoor publication, manyturnedtotheInternetshow- With littlesupportandinsufficientopportunitiesfor easily uploaded to social media sites,” sive narratives’ and,likemobile-phoneimages,are “Cartoons andcomicstripscanconvey‘subver- that ofcomicsandtheInternet,toanotherlevel. The uprisingspushedtheuseofthismedium,both allowed them. it throughsocialmedia,enjoyingtheanonymity with whichtheycoulduploadtheirworkandspread Theactiviststookadvantageoftheease Halasa). tural writerMaluHalasainSyriaSpeaks(M.O. to awider audience readership, werenowavailable enthusiasts anda verymarginal previously limited tolocal Comic artand comicartists, showcase andsharetheirwork. many turned totheInternet opportunities forpublication, With littlesupportandinsufficient 10 Notably, in2013,ananonymous posting comicsexpressing

noted cul- Madsouss whoissnitchedonandcontinuously getscaughtorbeatenupbytheShabiha. older comicswerewrittenin classicalorliteraryAra- dent inallthecomicsproduced,whenmajorityof dialects madeacomebackduringtheuprisings,evi- The localEgyptian,Syrian,LebaneseandTunisian the brutalpolicemaninSkefkef. nawy’s humorousparkingattendantinTokTok and acters andlocalstereotypesfeature,suchasShen- frames, speaking local dialects. Unlikely street char- with thehijabortraditionaldressappearin crowded, dustyandgrimdetail.Women featured of theoldercomicstrips,werenowdepictedintheir grounds ofArabcities,mostoftenobscuredin came tothefore,asdidcriticismandhumour.Back form. Previouslyunheardof,personalnarratives sense oflocalitydominatinginbothcontentand feature prominentlyinthecomics,withanoticeable The statusquo,socialissuesandlifeinthestreets, and form of localitydominatinginbothcontent the comics,withanoticeablesense in thestreets,featureprominently The statusquo,socialissuesandlife (Marasligil). we wanttobringanewwaveofcomicsintoEgypt” want tomakeallourcomicsabouttherevolution, want tomakearevolutionwithincomics…We don’t Egyptian comicartistHichamRahmadeclared,“We time were directly concerned with the uprisings. comics, notallthecomicsproducedduringthis though therevolutionsplayedaroleinspreadof gence ofafocusonlocalissuesandproblems.Al- aganda andpan-Arabnationalism, and theemer- With theuprisingscamecollapseofstateprop- Locality: LanguageandtheStatusQuo testation” aged dialogue,debate,freeexpressionandcon- sional revolutionarysymbolismthathasencour- 13 12 11 Michele Standjofsky pavedthewayfor anincreasingfemalecontributionto comics intheregion. Notably, earlier comic artistssuchasLoujaina alAsil, Although many Egyptian comics from before nationalism were in the colloquial dialect, this slowly diminished in favour of the classical language. The comicsofthiscollectivehowever brutal,donotexcludehumour,withaseriesaboutveryunfortunateopposition fighterAbouMoussel (M. O.Halasa). 11 Miriam JabalAmel, ZeinaAbiRashed,NewalLouride, JoumanaMedlej, -

friends (Ahmad). East throughitsmaincharacterMajidaandhertwo ing aboutthedailystrugglesofwomeninMiddle comic seriesDiariesofanArabgirlontheweb,talk 2014sawthe where thecomicappears(Mohamad). creator lamophobia amongstotherthings” accordingtoher Muslim superherowho“combatsmisogynyandis- lates as‘thedefeater.’Qaherafeaturesafemale hera’ whichistheArabicwordforCairo andtrans- hera asuperhero,cleverlyplayingontheword‘Qa- to therescueofwomen,suchasformidableQa- assment. Strongfemalecharactershavealsocome dedicated anentireeditorialtothesubjectofhar- dressed women’s issues invariousepisodes,and the regional comics being produced. TokTok - ad and theircontinuousharassmentsurfacedamong Magazines tacklingthemarginalisationofwomen were createdin. bic, evokingthepan-Arabnationalismoferathey cations. the contributorstocontemporarycomicpubli- ble numberoffemaleauthorsandartists,evidentin comics inthisregionseemedtogatherareasona- the , from their onset as anadultmedium, while cartoonstendtobeamale-dominatedfieldin duction ofpowerfulfemalecharacters.Additionally, als dedicated to thesubjectorthroughintro- main themesinsomemagazines,withentireeditori- jor concern. These concerns wereaddressed as the foreground andwerefeaturedprominentlyasama- sues tothesurface.Women’s issuescametothe status quo,forcingmanypreviouslyunspokenis- platform offered a stage from which to criticise the plaguing thecountriestheystartedin.Thecomic cal affairs, theyalsohighlighted the social problems sense offreedomandchallengedthestatepoliti- Although theuprisingsbroughtaboutanewfound as Authors andCharacters Joining theMilieu:RoleofWomen public ensuringtheirplaceasapopularmedium. Deena Mohamad,aspostedonthewebsite 13 12 This brought comics closer to their Thisbrought comics closertotheir Lena Merhejand -

IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 327 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 328 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama ing itsplaceintheartslocally. In2012,theErlangen role intheattentionitattracted, butalsoin The internationalresponse to thismediumplayeda nounced forNovemberofthisyear. comic andcartoonillustrators,isexpectedtobean- Mahmoud KahilAward,which upcoming comicfestivalinthefallof2015,and brought forwardvariousissues.Egyptalsoawaitsan spring, reinforcedtheimportanceofcomicsand the Lebanese American University in Beirut this well-attended in Egyptdedicatedtocomics.Thesuccessfuland Cairo andAlexandria,wasthefirstlarge-scaleevent Egypt ComixWeek thatopenedinSeptember for comicsintheregion.BetweenCadres(BECA), as aregionalpractice,markedsignificantmoment scholarship, promotionandteachingofthis artform archiving comicsfromtheregion,aswell can UniversityofBeirutinLebanon2014,aimedat the Arabrealityand disseminatingandtranslatingdifferent culturalexpressionsfromArabic, including comics. Rada Sawwaf and internationally. ThelaunchoftheMu’tazand cant to Arabiccomics as a cultural form both locally tant pioneeringinitiativesandrelevanteventssignifi- pared the platform for a cascading number of impor- The alreadybubblingsceneandclearinterestpre- Arab Comics Regional andInternationalInitiativeson gia her loverinMetro,harassedonthestreetsShakma- not perfect and can be made fun of. She is in bed with and nowappearsasacharacterlikeallothers,whois either motherorsisterupholdingallmoralsinsociety, brought downfromherpedestalandiconicstatusof have beendropped;inthiscase,thewomanhas It couldbesaidthatwiththerevolutionsmanytaboos urgent needtopresentit. clear signoftheimportancethisissueand perspective” asclaimedbythemagazine,wasa women and men froma feminist andhuman rights their plightand“lookingtoaddressissuesfacing comic magazineespeciallydedicatedtopromoting box) inEgypt,attheendof2014,asfirstfeminist However, theappearanceofShakmagia(Jewellery 14 The Spanishbased NGO,Fondacion and defies themalepopulationinQahera. Arabic ComicsInitiative,atthe held at Arabic ComicsSymposium,heldat Al honours the region’s honours theregion’s Fanar aimstopromotecultural relationsinvarioussphereswith theArabworld,byshowingfacets of recognis- Ameri- through theirdocumentation. presented thesepopularartformstotheworld Arts and culturefromthefrontline(M.O.Halasa) rected tothisgenre.TheprolificbookSyriaSpeaks: first ofitskindintheUnitedStatesspecificallydi- Popular Visual CultureinMarch2014,saidtobethe symposium andexhibitionArabComics:90Years of ing comics.RhodeIsland’sBrownUniversityheldthe exhibition onartandprotestintheArabworldinclud- Arts oftheArabWorld Uprisingsinearly2014,an seum inDearbornMichigan,hostedCreativeDissent: sions ontheform.TheArabAmericanNationalMu- ing andpresentingtheirworkwhileinitiatingdiscus- gathering artists from all over the region and exhibit- bition tocomicsintheArabworld,afirstofitskind Comic SalonXVinGermanydedicatedalargeexhi- respect forthegenre. choring theirnewfoundfame inlastingsuccessand Arab comicshaveemerged and aredeveloping,an- State andthelackofrecognitionsupport,adult past, thelanguageofpropagandaenforcedby Emerging fromthechild-orientedconstraintsof dissent of expression, criticism,satireand Internet, developedasamedium readership, withtheaidof to local enthusiastsandamarginal Adult comicspreviouslylimited cial andwomen’sissuesconcerns. ing their contextual realities, as was the case for so- through theuseofcolloquialdialectsandbydepict- were broughtintotheforegroundinworks, sion, criticism,satireanddissent.Comics’ localities of theInternet,developedasamediumexpres- enthusiasts andamarginalreadership,withtheaid cent years.Adultcomicspreviouslylimitedtolocal Arab worldrapidlyspreadaftertheuprisingsofre- Growing fromalongandrichhistory, comicartinthe Conclusion 14

K H H G G E B B Bibliography is heretostay. censored, theirauthors prosecuted… butthegenre Arab world,andthereisnoreturn.Comicsmaybe ics foradultsarenowanestablishedgenreinthe racy isimposedoriftotalitarianregimesreturn,com- there isnowayback.Regardlessofwhetherdemoc- For thepeoplewhoparticipatedinrevolutions, M l houry ousqu ank alasa alasa ameel araslig uyer

D tives fromFIBDA.” 6December2011.Words syria-revolutionary-cartoons . theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2012/oct/14/ October 2012.TheGuardian.Availableatwww. continues-to-plague-post-revolutionary-tunisia. http://cbldf.org/2012/06/artistic-censorship- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Available at plague Post revolutionaryTunisia.” 19June2012. Comp. Lina Ghaibeh.Beirut,18February 2015. expression/?page=all . 21/new-egypt-comic-artists-push-limits-of- www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/ 2014. artists pushlimitsofexpression.” 21November roreview/pages/articledetails.aspx?aid=506 . Available athttp://www.aucegypt.edu/gapp/cai- Global Affairs.AmericanUniversityOfCairo. seum.” 5February2014.TheCairoReviewOf frontline. London:SaqiBooks,2014. (Eds.). at http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/21779 Akhbar Englishversion,4March2015available revolutionary flavor.” 30September2014.Al ming-against-the-tide. content/comics-artists-in-the-arab-world-swim- 18 July2012.Availableathttp://en.qantara.de/ World: SwimmingagainsttheTide.” InQantara, eeb , Charlotte.“Culture,ComicArtistsintheArab , Jonathan.“HowtoCurateaRevolutionMu- , Malu: , Malu.“Syria’srevolutionary cartoons.” 14 , Muhib.“Egyptiancomics:Ahistorywitha , Georges/JAD.“Comicsin thearabworld.” e , Sarah.“Home,News:NewEgyptcomic t , Mark.“Artistic censorshipcontinuesto , Canan.“IllustratingConflict: Perspec- Syria Speaks:Artsandculturefromthe The Washington Times. Available at O mareen , Zaher: M ahfoud , Nawara TokTok (Egypt) Skefkef (Morocco) Shakmagia (Egypt) Samandal (Lebanon) Makhbar 619(Tunisia) La FuriedesGlandeur BD Koumik(Tunisia) EL Doshma(Egypt) Autostrade (Egypt) List ofArabicAdultcomicsmagazines: Mahmoud KahilAwardincomicsandcartoonsthe Egypt ComixWeek: BetweenCadres(BECA)– The ArabAmericanMuseum,http://arabamerican- The Mu’tazandRadaSawwafArabicComicsInitia- The AmericanUniversityofBeirutLibraryguideto References V M M i ll a ohamad w a conflict-perspectives-from-fibda. outborders.org/dispatches/article/illustrating- Without Borders. Available at: 68587144214. able at hil.com Arab world,November2015,www.Mahmoudka- Cairo andAlexandria,Egypt Egypt ComixWeek –22and27September, museum.org/arab.uprisings_ci.detail Pages/index.aspx aub.edu.lb/provost/Academic-initiatives/saci/ tive attheAmericanUniversityofBeirut,www. content.php?pid=586747&sid=4836463 Arabic Comics, ab-spring-in-tunisia-egypt195/ . ashift/2011/07/social-media-and-satire-fuel-ar- PBS.org. Availableatwww.pbs.org/medi- Shift: Your GuidetotheDigitalMediaRevolution. Spring inTunisia, Egypt.” 14July2011.Media es/2012/11/20121128131125332715.html Available atwww.aljazeera.com/indepth/featur conflict.” 29November2012.AlJazeera English. ad , Susannah. “Social Media and Satire Fuel Arab , Susannah.“SocialMediaandSatireFuelArab , Dalal. “Cartoonists capture angst of Syrian , Dalal.“CartoonistscaptureangstofSyrian , Deena.Qaheraasuperhero.2013.Avail-

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IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2015 329 Strategics Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama