Nazi Al- Ali's 'cartoonic' observations

Nazi Al- Ali was probably the only cartoonist ever to have influenced the Arab world. His cartoons spoke of the hypocrisy, the pain and the irony of the lives of the western world. He was killed on July 22, 1989 in Kuwait, right in front of Al- Kabs, a daily newspaper office.

'Filistiner Bibek' or 'the cries of Palestine' was a set of cartoon sketches, made by Ali himself, and was displayed at the Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi, from July 22 to July 24. His cartoons spoke of the pain, torture and frustration that the people of Palestine had to go through. One of the illustrations was of a tired, lonely man, seeming older than his actuall age, sitting and dreaming about a day, when he, along with the mass, can dream of a brighter future. Some of his illustrations also comprise of the question mark (?), emphasising the confusion and the silent frustration created by the 'superior powers'.

One can term this as a simple token of appreciation, to a messenger, who believed in portraying the real world, where laughter was a mere dream and pain was everyday life. Nazi Al-Ali's memory still lives amongst hundreds and thousands today, who openly, but silently, defy the meaningless wars.