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Portrait of Naji al-Ali

Photo: Amer shomali · CC BY-SA 3.0

Naji al-Ali

Master caricaturist, poignant critic of Palestinian plight.

Born
1936
Born in
Al-Shajara, Tiberias, Palestine
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Why Naji is here

His art profoundly influenced Arab political discourse and Palestinian identity.

Their story

Naji al-Ali (c. 1936–1987) was born in al-Shajara, near Tiberias. In 1948 his family fled to the Ein al-Hilweh camp in Lebanon. Ghassan Kanafani saw his drawings on the camp walls and published his first cartoons in 1961.

In 1969 he created Handala, the barefoot ten-year-old refugee boy who stands with his back to the viewer, refusing to turn around until Palestine is free. His cartoons criticised Israel and Arab rulers alike. He was shot in London in July 1987 and died weeks later. Handala is now a symbol of Palestine around the world.

In pictures

Milestones

The moments that shaped Naji’s path.

  1. 1959

    Enrolled at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts but dropped out due to detentions by the Lebanese Army.

  2. 1969

    Created Handala, the ten-year-old character symbolizing the Palestinian Case.

  3. 1979

    Elected Secretary General of the League of Arab Caricaturists and a member of the Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists.

  4. 1985

    Expelled from Kuwait, sought refuge in London, and worked at the international Al-Qabas newspaper.

  5. 1987

    Shot in London in July and died on 29 August 1987.

Legacy

What they built, changed and left behind.

  1. Introduced Handhala, a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.

  2. His cartoons offered a biting criticism of the Palestinian and Arab political situation, with a collection numbering nearly fourteen thousand drawings.

  3. Won the first prize in the Exhibition of Arab Caricatures in Damascus in 1979.

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  4. Posthumously awarded "The Golden Pen of Freedom" in 1988 by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

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  5. His life and work were celebrated in films and the establishment of The Naji al-Ali Cultural Center in Beirut.

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Watch & listen

Naji in interviews, talks and coverage.

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