Handala is a famous Palestinian cartoon character who is always drawn with his back to the viewer. This is because he is turning his back on advocates of war, symbolizing Palestinian resistance.
I learned about Handala today at an event at my university, and I wanted to share this image with all of you.
Created in 1969 by Palestinian newspaper cartoonist Naji al-Ali, the character shares his name with a resilient and bitter plant that grows even when weeded out in the Middle East called handal. The character is drawn as a ten-year-old boy, as the artist himself was a displaced ten-year-old boy in 1948.
If this character doesn't move you, I don't know what will. His spiky hair, bare feet, and raggedy clothes show he is in the midst of crisis, but he remains resilient and revolutionary. His face is never shown, because he represents all oppressed people in Palestine.
Handala represents the true power there is to rebellion. The icon itself is still relevant today, and even that speaks to the fact that consistent, dogged resistance will always exist and always prevail in the hearts of those who choose to rise.
So I want to conclude this with words that will always rise above oppression and represent freedom; not only within my heart, but in the hearts of many: From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free
