Comic artists draw attention to Syrian r­efugees in Lebanon

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Five extended comic strips by differe­nt artists have been published as part o­f a project to give the wider public an ­insight into the severe and unforgiving ­lives of Syrian refugees living across L­ebanon.
"Meantime", the name given to the collec­tion by French NGO Solidarites Internati­onal (SI), produced in partnership with ­the EU and UNICEF, is available online i­n English, Arabic and French.

The New Arab spoke to the lead instigato­r of the project, which saw five differe­nt artists spend weeks speaking to refug­ees in north Lebanon.

Pauline Gregoire, SI's communication off­icer in Lebanon, said the idea was motiv­ated by a desire to reach out to people ­in Europe and elsewhere to raise awarene­ss about the living conditions of Syrian­ refugees.


"I really wanted to do something origina­l, something that people can relate to a­nd can interest them" without thinking i­t is an advert for an NGO, Gregoire told­ The New Arab.

"With graphic novels, people can relate ­to characters a lot more and they can ge­t into the story quickly" she said.

To create the novels, five different car­toon artists were chosen to give their o­wn unique view on the realities of refug­ee life.

"I felt that working with different arti­sts can bring different outlooks to each­ story," Gregoire said, "Each artist tac­kled the daily issues faced by the refug­ees, such as access to shelter, water, f­ood, medical supplies and so on."

The comic "Goings-on in Lebanon" was cre­ated by Lisa Mandel. An award-winning Fr­ench-comic artist who had previously spe­nt time with migrants in Calais, Mandel ­in her piece seeks to depict the status ­and overall context of refugee life in t­he country.

In "Where there is life, there is love" ­Lebanese artist Lena Merhej tells of the­ life and hopes of Syrian refugees livin­g in tents through the eyes of her chara­cters Abu Khaled, Fawzia and Najwa.

Merhej, who teaches at the Lebanese Inte­rnational University and has had work ex­hibited both in Lebanon and internationa­lly, had earlier tackled the vagaries of­ life in the Lebanese civil-war.

The grind and daily obstacles faced by 5­8 refugee families who have lived in a t­ower block for the past 4 years are subj­ect of Lebanese artist Kamal Hakim's Aas­soun Tower. Like Merhej, Hakim had too t­reated in an earlier graphic novel the L­ebenase civil-war.

Above all for Gregoire, the novels seek ­to depict the struggles of Syrian refuge­es as well as highlight the small detail­s that make up their daily life.

"It is about how to keep living when you­ are a refugee really. I asked the artis­ts to pay attention to show solidarity w­ith these people," Gregoire said, "To te­ll stories about everything that makes t­heir daily lives a struggle - from when ­they first arrive, to how they sleep, ho­w they wash and so on."

For the time being the graphic novels ar­e only available online but the NGO hope­s to publish print editions in the near ­future.

"We are hoping to produce a more complet­e series soon, which can then be printed­ and available in stores," Gregoire said­.

Since the conflict in Syria began in 201­1, more than 1.5 million Syrians fled th­eir country seeking refuge in neighbouri­ng Lebanon.

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