While a new generation of comics artists is emerging in the region whose work appears in a growing number of publications in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria among other Arab countries, this panel will address the need to institutionalize this profession by discussing education and training in illustration and graphic story telling in the region.
The seven speakers who presented in this symposium were:George Khoury of Jad Workshop (Lebanon), Lena Merhej of Samandal (Lebanon), Lina Ghaibeh, Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arabic Comics Initiative (Lebanon), Mohammed El Bellaoui and Mohamed Rahmo of Skefkef (Morocco), Mohammed Shennawy from TokTok (Egypt) and Zeina Bassil of La Furie des Glandeurs (Lebanon).
Comics art was introduced as a medium that has been used not only to record history but also as a testimonial of personal memory and against silence and abuse. It is a fertile ground yet to be explored, it opens up opportunity for literary visualizing the lived realities of people in general as well as marginalized communities.
This panel was a starting point for discussions and debates on future comics studies in the Arab region. It raised questions pertaining to education, research, and business.