Comics: A Voice For The Syrian Revolution

Comics are not only a means for an artist to tell a story, they are also a way of expressing social commentary on the world around us. Many comics and comic strips discuss everything from race and religion to the state of the economy, to stories of hope. Traditionally, comics have been a form of expression, and in an environment where political demonstrators are often violently silenced, comics have grown as a way for a silenced people to express their disdain and unhappiness as well as to communicate to the world the present state of things in Syria.

Last July a Facebook group titled Comic4Syria was created by a group of artists as means of telling the story of what is happening inside the borders of their war torn country. The group collects and publishes various comic strips and stories that add to the discussion on the revolution and tragedy that has plagued the Middle Eastern nation for well over a year now.

According to Al Jazeera, Comic4Syria is a Facebook group run by six cartoonists, and over the course of the last year, the group has garnered over 13,000 Facebook followers who visit and comment on the cartoons that are posted daily.

"This is a very bloody and sad revolution. We were worried people wouldn't accept the idea of cartoons," said the group's Syria-based scriptwriter, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Al Jazeera.

"Our comics shed light on everyone's mistakes, the mistakes of the regime but also the mistakes of the opposition," said Wassim Marzuki, a Syrian artist and contributor to Comic4Syria, who lives in Doha, Qatar. "Some comics also use humour and funny characters. It helps the viewer better deal with grisly situations."

In a country where any kind of political opposition is quickly stifled, Comic4Syria has become a tool that empowers the people living within its borders, as well as people living outside of Syria. It has served as a way for the people living in the midst of the revolution to speak out to the world and show them through pictures just exactly what is going on.

"Our comics shed light on everyone's mistakes, the mistakes of the regime but also the mistakes of the opposition," said Wassim Marzuki, a Syrian artist and contributor to Comic4Syria, who lives in Doha, Qatar. "Some comics also use humour and funny characters. It helps the viewer better deal with grisly situations."

Comics have been a tool of expression amidst many revolutions throughout world history, and the reason is often because the message in comics are so obscure. The statement they make are often ambiguous and indirect, and therefore it is much more difficult to prosecute based on pictures. And although many of the comics published on the Comic4Syria page are printed in Arabic, the creators of the site often translate many of the comics they publish into English in order to read a wider audience. As sad and tragic as things are in Syria today, it is good to see that comics are able to provide a voice to a people who had been and have been silenced for so long.

Source: Al Jazeeraand Comic4Syria

Wow, that image of the doll leaving a flower on the young girl's grave; that's powerful. You don't even need the translation to be touched by that one.

I wonder if any of these guys work for Teshkeel?

Nice work, Sara! I totally agree and thanks for writing about this aspect of comics. I think comics can be especially subversive because you can cloak your messages in something that authorities are likely to skim without really looking at. Like, using super cute characters to talk about oppression. In some ways, certain peoples prejudices about comics can work in favor of an activist artist.

Thanks for covering this!

The Saddest Ninja - an Eat the Babies! serial

when will people learn that facebook doesnt mean jack in the real world?

I guess the rabble in Syria have stooped to new lows. Let's see if they produce a comic depicting all of the innocent civilians that they have murdered! Comics should stay out of real life politics; it is a form of escapism and that is all.

@TheShame said:

I guess the rabble in Syria have stooped to new lows. Let's see if they produce a comic depicting all of the innocent civilians that they have murdered! Comics should stay out of real life politics; it is a form of escapism and that is all.

"Don't Tread On Me"

People who believe comic books' only purpose is escapism are morons.

@JairamGanpat:Ideally i like to think that comics should be a form of escapism, but you are correct: comics (like all other literature) is a means of conveying a social and political message. All i am saying is that if a creator is willing to base their work on a political message they must be ready to accept criticism from the alternative view, particularly in Syria where so much of what we hear in the western media is distorted and edited. The role of a writer does not provide someone with political immunity or a privileged position. Politicians have to defend their views and so must authors.

Comics like any other art form are a means of expression. That's what this article is about. It is an inalienable human right to express yourself in any way one deems fit.

This article is a refreshing change of pace for a site like this and it's an opportunity to see how this medium can reflect and expose important events in our time.

That is a really nice article that surprised me a little because i'm an Egyptian guy who sufferd the same thing that syria suffers right now, and i didn't imagine that one day i'll find an article like this in her, so thank you Sara that was really touching

by the way the doll says "I miss you" in the last pic

@RedheadedAtrocitus said:

I wonder if any of these guys work for Teshkeel?

I was told Teshkeel had recently gone under. Something about Pamela Geller and Cracked that forced them to destroy all copies of their magazines that weren't sold - I'm not too sure on the specifics, so don't quote me on that. It doesn't seem like their page on Comixology has updated in the last couple months either.

@Babs said:

@TheShame said:

I guess the rabble in Syria have stooped to new lows. Let's see if they produce a comic depicting all of the innocent civilians that they have murdered! Comics should stay out of real life politics; it is a form of escapism and that is all.

"Don't Tread On Me"

I think I love you.

(In a noncreeper, platonic, we were thinking the same thing and that's amazing" kind of way)

Perhaps this can be as a big hit as Persepolis?

Why would Assad be trying to hitch a ride with Gaddafi? Recent intelligence reports suggest that Assad sold Gaddafi out to the rebels and NATO.

@Archi_M9: I'm Libyan and was equally surprised. Thanks Babs, for the humanitarianism.

As someone who is Syrian-American and who has family in Syria right now, this article was a nice way to show that there are people who care about what's going on there. Thanks @Babs.

Art was always a weapon of protest, is great to see this still works that way.

@Illuminatus said:

Why would Assad be trying to hitch a ride with Gaddafi? Recent intelligence reports suggest that Assad sold Gaddafi out to the rebels and NATO.

I think you misunderstand the image. Because there are Syrians living in Syria who want him ousted the same way Libyans wanted Gaddafi removed. In the cartoon, Gaddafi is fleeing and Assad wants to flee too. The image is saying "better run fast/get out of here."

@Babs said:

@Illuminatus said:

Why would Assad be trying to hitch a ride with Gaddafi? Recent intelligence reports suggest that Assad sold Gaddafi out to the rebels and NATO.

I think you misunderstand the image. Because there are Syrians living in Syria who want him ousted the same way Libyans wanted Gaddafi removed. In the cartoon, Gaddafi is fleeing and Assad wants to flee too. The image is saying "better run fast/get out of here."

Oh. My apologies.

Excellent article that's all I can say.