https://arab.news/6mvay
- Political caricature category was won by Raafat Ahmed Al-Khatib, a Jordanian artist currently residing in the US
- The graphic novels category was won by Buraq Rima, a Lebanese artist living in Brussels, for his novel “By Taxi”
BEIRUT: Artists specializing in caricatures and comics from Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine were recognized in the various categories of the seventh Mahmoud Kahil Award, which is granted by the Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arab Comics Initiative at the American University of Beirut.
The political caricature category, the most prominent of the awards and worth $10,000, was won by Raafat Ahmed Al-Khatib, a Jordanian artist currently residing in the US.
The graphic novels category was won by Buraq Rima, a Lebanese artist living in Brussels, for his novel “By Taxi.”
The Egyptian Mohammed Salah won the comic strip award for the second time, in recognition of his excellence, imagination and remarkably developed style.
The Lebanese Karen Kayrouz won the award for graphic and expressive cartoons.
The award for children’s book illustrations was won by the Palestinian artist Baraa Ahmed Ismail Al-Aaw for her book “A Chasing.” She arrived in Beirut to receive her award from the Gaza Strip, despite all the obstacles.
Iraqi artist Ali Mandlawi was awarded the honorary “Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievements” award.
This award is given in appreciation of those who have spent a quarter of a century or more in the service of the art of comic strips, expressive drawings and political caricatures.
The honorary “Patron of Arab Comics” award, which recognizes those who widely support comics and caricatures in the Arab world and thus contribute to the cultural heritage of the region, went to the Sakaf Kaf project from Morocco.
A special honorary award was given to the Palestinian-Lebanese-British journalist Jihad Al-Khazen, who served as editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Hayat newspapers.
Al-Khazen was one of the founders and supporters of the award since its inception. His wife received the award on his behalf because he was unable to come due to illness.
Rada Sawwaf said that “despite the difficulties and suffering in the past two years and the harsh economic and health conditions, the initiative was able to continue and communicate with all artists in the Arab world to reflect the best image of Lebanon.”
She said that “the initiative was a forerunner in organizing the first virtual exhibition of its artists in 2021, and we reached international universities in the French city of Lyon and participated in international conferences and exhibitions in Angouleme.
“The luminous space in Lebanon allowed innovators to develop the art of comics and comic strips through academic courses at the American University and participation in international conferences, workshops and meetings.”
The director of the initiative at the American University of Beirut, Dr. Lina Ghaiba, said: “Despite the emergence of issues of social injustice, regional crises and political figures, the coronavirus pandemic was the dominant topic of this year’s political caricature category, which was expressed by a face mask as a symbol of global disease and pandemic.
“We also saw works on the Lebanese economic crisis and issues of local and regional corruption, as well as the issue of the forced eviction of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the plight of the people.”
Ghaiba said that “self-reflection and orientation towards the human interior are among the most prominent common features in the works submitted for the award in various categories.”
The awards ceremony was accompanied by the opening of an art exhibition of various caricatures and comic strips with more than 120 works from various art schools.
The initiative launched its annual book, which contains 150 drawings and texts of the winners.
The jury included Julie Tait, founding director of the International Lakes Festival of Comic Art in the UK; Noha Habib, an illustrator working between Doha and Tunisia and one of the founders of the Tunisian comic magazine LAB619, launched in 2013; twin cartoonists Haitham and Mohammed El-Sahat, Egyptian comic book artists and lecturers, who founded Garage Comics and have won several awards, including the Mahmoud Kahil Award in 2019; and George Khoury (Gad), an art critic and one of the pioneers of comic strips in the Arab world, who has received many awards.
Two of Gad’s works, “One Thousand and One Nights” and “Scheherazade,” were selected for the permanent collection of the International Comic strip Museum in Angouleme, France.
The Lebanese artist Mahmoud Kahil (1936-2003), whose name the award bears, was one of the most prominent cartoonists in the Arab world.
The Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arab Comics Initiative was set up in 2014 to encourage the art of comics in the Arab world, promote multidisciplinary research on Arab comics, encourage its production, studying and teaching, and create a repository for Arabic comics publications.