This week, Cartoonists for Palestine launched an online comics archive in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The site already features dozens of comics and cartoons by creators like Ben Passmore, Khalid Albaih, Matt Bors, and Sophie Yanow, all of which have been donated to the site and may be included in a print anthology.
Created by editors Yazan al-Saadi, Tracy Chahwan, Sarah “Shay” Mirk, and Andy Warner, working with web developer Layal Khatib and artist Kazimir Lee to create the archival website, Cartoonists for Palestine is a volunteer-run organization seeking to compile works reflecting on the current genocide in Palestine, as well as the history of occupation of Palestine and displacement of its people.
“The forced displacement and killing of Palestinian people, as well as the seizure of their land, has been ongoing incrementally since 1948 but now has entered a very overt phase. This horrifying violence is actively abetted or passively ignored by our governments. In the face of this, we seek to gather cartoonists together in a radically transnational space where they can reflect on this bloodshed, share our voices, and express our solidarity,” reads the Cartoonists for Palestine mission statement.
“While we are under no illusion that art can stop bombs from falling on children or tanks from rolling through city streets, we believe there is an urgent value to any community we can bring together in reaction to this bleak moment. In the face of calamity, artists still have a role to play and are inspired by the examples of our history—from those who used art to reckon with the death camps of the Holocaust in Europe to those who employed art to fight against Apartheid in South Africa, and more.
“Their legacy to us is a message: do not stand still or stay silent.”
Cartoonists for Palestine seeks work that reflects a personal response to what’s happening in Gaza at this moment and what has happened in occupied Palestine since 1948. It will not feature work that “espouses racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, white supremacy, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Orientalism, or Zionism.” Comics donated to the site will not necessarily be published in the anthology; every submission will be reviewed by the editors and artists who are published in the print book will receive an honorarium for their work. Submissions can be any length but should follow the collective’s provided templates to avoid formatting issues on the site.
“Comics have no walls nor borders, and the youngness of our medium represents an opportunity to reject the boundaries that were assigned to us. All around the world, in newspapers, magazines, and on mobile phone screens, comics speak about the most important topics of the day. We are not powerless. Through comics, we can shape the narratives told about ourselves and our world—and in that way, we hope to provoke change,” the mission statement says. “Recent events are extreme, brutal, and shocking, but they are part of a continuum–the long ideological project of settler colonialism that requires the systematic denial and destruction of indigenous peoples. Now is the time to build something new and different.”
Cartoonists for Palestine follows in the footsteps of creator-driven efforts to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and delivery of necessary humanitarian aid, including Books for Palestine, Kidlit 4 Ceasefire, Writers Against the War on Gaza, Queer Artists for Palestine, and Fatties for Palestine, to name just a few.
Pre-orders for the Cartoonists for Palestine print anthology will begin in May and the collective aims to publish the book in June. Aside from the artist honorarium, all proceeds from the anthology will be donated to ANERA, Medical Aid for Palestinians, and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). Until pre-orders open, check out the comics on the website and follow the collective on Instagram for updates.
(featured image: Kazmir Lee / Cartoonists for Palestine)
