Facts & Figures
Arab Countries
10
Number of Submissions
250
Female Participation
35%
3rd Mahmoud Kahil Award Winners
March 2018
Editorial Cartoons
Sherif Arafa | Egypt
In addition to having worked with RosalYoussef magazine and newspaper and Caricature and Kelmetna magazines, Sherif has completed training courses and workshops in Psychology and Business, such as “Instructional Design for Trainers.” He has received many awards and nominations, including the Arab Journalism Award nomination in 2014 and 2012, Arab Cartoon Award in 2012, and the First Prize in the Manisa Mesir Cartoon Contest in 2008, among others.
Graphic Novels
Seif Eddine Nechi | Tunisia
in Tunisia, France, and Spain. Within the span of a year, Seifeddine was awarded the Best Electronic Comic at CairoComix 2 and was a finalist for the Mahmoud Kahil Award for the “Tawahoch” comic.
Comics
Mohamed Salah | Egypt
Graphic Illustration
Tracy Chahwan | Lebanon
Chilldren’s Book Illustration
Walid Taher | Egypt
Walid continues to illustrate for Karma Media House and Hoopoe Books among others. His work includes the design of educational material for the World Health Organization and the Egyptian Ministry of Education, and the National Center for Children’s Culture among others. Walid Taher won several awards including the prestigious Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature in 2012, the Anna Lindt Foundation Award for “Dreams of Animals” in 2012 and the International Children’s Book Award at The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) in 2014.
Naji Al Ali | Palestine
His artistic tendencies began to emerge when he wrote and acted in short plays with his colleagues in the camp and at some clubs. These tendencies and talents only grew as he left Lebanon and lived abroad, far from his family and friends.
From 1957-1959, Naji worked as technician in a Saudi Arabian company in Jeddah, returning to Lebanon to join the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in 1960, but continuous prosecutions and arrests by Lebanese Intelligence Forces disrupted his studies. A year after moving back to Lebanon, he met the Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani, and published four drawings in “Al Horiyya” magazine in Beirut, with an article highlighting his talent in September 1961. He then worked as a drawing teacher at the Jafari College in Tyr for a couple of years, until leaving to Kuwait to work with “Al-Tali’ah” magazine, affiliated with the Arab Nationalist Movement since 1963. While working for the magazine, he illustrated Ghassan Kanafani’s novel “Slaves or the Dead Red Lotus.”
Naji worked at several magazines and newspapers between Kuwait and Lebanon, including the weekly magazine “Al Horiyya”, Lebanese daily “Al-Yawm” and the weekly “Al-Tali’ah”. In 1968, he started working in the Kuwaiti daily “Al-Seyassah”, and in 1969, he created Handala, who became his signature character.
He joined the Lebanese daily “Assafir” when it was founded in 1974. Then, in 1976, 1983, and 1985, he published three books that included a selection of his drawings. He won the first prize for the “Settlement Bus” at the Arab Cartoonists’ Exhibition in 1979, and in the same year became Secretary General of the Arab Cartoonists’ Association. His “Four Mirrors” painting won the first prize in the second Arab cartoonists’ exhibition a year later.
Naji Al ALi stayed in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli siege and invasion, during which time he drew for “Assafir” and “Al Maaraka” newspaper. In 1983 he joined the Kuwaiti daily “Al Qabas”, and at around the same time, worked with several Arab newspapers and magazines, including the UAE daily “Al Khaleej”, “Al Azmina al Arabiyya” magazine, “Al Mawqaf Al Arabi”, and the Lebanese “Al Shiraa.”
The artist held his first exhibition in Kuwait in 1985 upon invitation from the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters, after which he participated in several exhibitions in a number of Arab and non-Arab countries.
After being expelled from Kuwait in 1985, he moved to London to work for “Al Qabas International.” He was shot in London two years later, on the 22nd of July 1987, and remained in hospital until he passed on the 29th of August 1987.
The Japanese newspaper “Asahi” listed him as one of the top ten cartoonists in the world. Additionally, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers awarded him the “Golden Pen of Freedom” in Rome, 1988, on the grounds that “Naji is one of the greatest cartoonists.” Dozens of books, articles, and studies, as well as a number of university theses, movies, and TV films portrayed his life and work. Many newspapers and magazines continue to publish his caricatures in Arab and international capitals.
FIBDA Festival
FIBDA, the International Festival of Comics in Algeria (Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d’Alger) gave rise to the artistic patrimony of the ninth art, relying on pioneers in the field. The establishment of an earlier festival in the 80s titled The Bordj El Kiffan Festival that celebrated local, regional, and internationally renowned authors, as well as the winning of prestigious awards contributed to the international recognition of Algerian comics. The potential of the earlier festival, however, was impeded during the turbulent “black decade” of the Algerian civil war in the 90s. Even though comics authors persevered, the genre lacked support, a permanent space, and any level of promotion. With the launch of FIBDA in 2008, this decline was completely reversed, and the ninth art resumed with an even greater intensity.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, this event today implements a dynamic based on four elements:
- Promoting the patrimony and support of comics: supporting Algerian comic art from its onset, combined with the recognition of the early pioneers and their contributions, while encouraging them to continue their work in the domain.
- Supporting young talents: offering workshops, training, and advanced courses supervised by international experts in addition to support in publishing their initial works.
- Outreach and reintegration of Algerian comics on the international scene through the invitation of several emeritus authors worldwide and conducting follow-ups with world operators in the ninth art, particularly renowned comics festivals.
- Integrating comics in schools as an educational and entertainment tool. FIBDA, functioning throughout the year, additionally focuses on supporting individual or group and foundation initiatives, while aiming at advancing and enriching the ninth art in Algeria.
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LAST DECADE IN COMICS:
- Supporting numerous pioneers of comics to resume their practice and production, and honoring and encouraging those who continue their work in the field.
- Helping the emerging new generation of young authors by affirming their talents and audaciousness, while supporting their work through publications and increasing international recognition.
- In order to aid the comics publishing industry to flourish, FIBDA encouraged the establishment of new publishing houses, dedicated partly or totally to comics, including two dedicated magazines.
- Receiving international recognition for Algerian comics art, as manifested in its recent participation in Angouleme, Montreal, Seoul, Brussels, Paris, and Marseille, among other cities.
FIBDA IN NUMBERS (2008-2018)
FIBDA has invited 170 national authors as well as 1040 international authors from 49 participating countries, scattered over 4 continents. It launched the works of 150 young authors through workshops and training, hosted 85 fairs, 102 conferences, 60 round tables, and a colloquium. FIBDA published 29 tributes, 5 retrospectives, 4 biographies, 6 movies, and several anthologies, among which are: A collection of comics narratives about Africa, including 67 African
authors: Monsters, Waratha 1, Waratha 2, The Furious, and 3 traveler notebooks. In the near future, FIBDA aims to create a museum of comics in Algiers to document how far the ninth art has come, and the exciting road ahead.
3rd Mahmoud Kahil Award 2018 Finalists
Editorial Cartoon
- Fares Korra Bet| Syria
- Osama Hajjaj | Jordan
Graphic Novel
- Mostafa Youssef | Egypt
- Deena Mohamed | Egypt
Comics
- Karen Keyrouz | Lebanon
- Abir Gasmi | Tunisia
Graphic Illustration
- Maya Fidawi | Lebanon
- Muhammad Mustafa | Egypt
Children’s Book Illustration
- Mona Yakzan | Lebanon
- Hassan Manasrah | Jordan
Meet the Jury
and participated in multiple local and international exhibitions and festivals. He won First Prize at the African Arabic Cartoon Exhibition, Egypt in 1990, Great Prize at the 14th International Festival Mihai Aonesco in 2015, and First Prize at George Al- Bahjoory Competition in Egypt 2016.