Art4Palestine

6/6 If you are interested in buying your own Keffiyeh, we urge you to buy from the last Kuffiyeh factory in Palestine called “Hirbawi” Kuffiya. Check them out in the link below:

https://www.kufiya.org

5/6 The patterns on the Keffiyah are made of 3 main sections – fishnet, olive leaves, & bold, each represents a different aspect of Palestinian identity. The fishnet represents the relationship w the sea, the olive leaves for resilience & bold is for the historic trade routes.

4/6 The Keffiyah is a symbol of resilience, solidarity, & deep-rooted cultural identity. This checkered scarf holds the warmth of Palestinian history & struggle. It has evolved as a powerful symbol of identity & resistance, woven into the fabric of daily life & global solidarity.

3/6 Originally the keffiyeh was plain white, in 1950 the black and white checkered Keffiyeh was introduced becoming an unmistakable symbol of Palestinian solidarity globally.

2/6 Firstly the Keffiyeh or Kufiya, a traditional headdress worn in parts of the Middle East. It is fashioned from a square scarf and is usually made of cotton. The keffiyeh is commonly found in arid regions, providing protection from sunburn, dust, and sand.

1/6 In the last post, we talked about Handala (Naji al Ali’s character) who became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Today we will discuss other symbols that have accompanied the Palestinian people and gave them hope during all those years of oppression.

Thirty years after his assassination, family and friends reflect on the life and work of he who is regarded as one of the most important intellectual voices ... Rear Window - Naji al-Ali Conscience of Palestine

12/12 Naji Al Ali lives on in Handala until today and remains a symbol of resistance for the Palestinians and Arabs. Handala is often graffitied in the streets of the Arab region, held in protests, or tattooed on the bodies of people.

https://youtu.be/hy4OUle1Jsw

11/12 The British police arrested Ismail Sowan, a 28-year-old Jerusalem-born Palestinian researcher at Hull University, he was only charged with possession of weapons and explosives. Sowan later confessed that he worked for both the PLO and the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

10/12 On 22 July 1987, Naji Al Ali was shot in the head on his way to work in London and remained in a coma until his death on 29 August 1987. It is still not known who opened fire on Al-Ali.

9/12 He was then discovered by the writer Ghassan Kanafani who helped him publish his drawings in the magazine Al Hurriyah in 1961. His career picked up and he spent his life publishing his cartoons in magazines like Al Tali'a, and Al-Siyasa. Al-Safir, Al Qabas.

8/12 He lived his early life in refugee camps in Lebanon then traveled to multiple Arab countries to work various industrial jobs until he returned to Lebanon in 1959 to pursue an Art education which was halted for being arrested for his political activism.

7/12 The artist vows that Handala will reveal his face to the readers again only when Palestinian refugees return to their homeland. Naji was born in a Palestinian village called Al-Shajarah in 1938, in 1948, the Nakba happened which led to the displacement of his family.

6/12 Handala wears ragged clothes and barefoot, symbolizing his allegiance to the poor. In later cartoons, he is actively participating in the action depicted not merely observing it.

5/12 The artist explained that the 10-year-old represented his age when forced to leave Palestine and would not grow up until he could return to his homeland; his turned back and clasped hands symbolized the character's rejection of "outside solutions"

4/12 The character of the child Handhala symbolizes the agony of the Palestinians but is nevertheless steadfast in facing all trials.
Handala is a 10-year-old child, who always has his back turned to the viewer from 1973, and clasped his hands behind his back.

3/12 -and the character of the Israeli soldier who most often stands bewildered as Palestinian kids pelt him with stones, Fatima who represents the Palestinian woman who refuses to compromise and has a clear vision of the cause of Palestine and how to solve it.

2/12 Naji was known for his political criticism of the Arab regimes & Israel in his works. During his life, he drew 40 000 drawings, ft. recurring characters like the fat man with his bare bottom who represented opportunistic Arab leaders -

1/12 Whenever we think of Palestinian resistance through Art, we think of the cartoonist Naji al Ali and his iconic character Handala, a personification of the Palestinian people that has become a prominent symbol of Palestinian nationalism and resistance.