in tunis, a new home for comics | your middle east
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ElisaPierandreiLastupdated:June8,2016
InTunis,anewhomeforcomicsARTTheArabcomicssectoris(re)establishingitself.WemetOthman
Selmitolearnmore.
WhenitcomestoArabcomics,TunisiangraphicdesignerandcomicsartistOthmanSelmi
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(bornin1977)isaninvaluableguide,withhishome-studiobeingacarnivalforurbanculturalproductionenthusiasts.AmongFrenchandArabicbooksonliteratureandmovies,IseecollectionsofoldcomicsfromtheArabworld,fillingtheshelvesofalargebookcasecoveringanentirewall.ThisiswhereyoufindthefirstissuesofMajid,amagazineforchildrenthatwasestablishedin1979inAbuDhabiandstillenjoyscirculationintheArabworld.PlusstunningglimpsesintotherichimaginativelifeoftheEgyptiancartoonistandvisualdesignerMohieddineEllabbadandoftheSyrianpoliticalcartoonistAliFerzat.IalsonoticestoriesfromTunisiabyMoncefElkateborthestyleofChedlyBelkamsawhendrawinginthepopularchildrenmagazineQawsQuzah(Rainbow),thefirstfoundedinTunisiain1984byaprivateeditor.
HoldingadegreefromtheInstitutSupérieurdesBeauxArtsinTunis,OthmanSelmihasbeenenjoyingsomepopularityabroadforhiseditorialillustrations,andwasaskedbytheItalianweeklyInternazionaletorecounttheTunisianspringinaseriesofcartoline(literallypostcards)usingthecomicsmedium.
“Inthepast,thecomicwasapopularartintheArabworld,evenifitwasimportedfromEuropeortheUSA.Butyearsofoppressionhavebeenharmfultoourculture.Manyofthepublishinghousescloseddownwhilebooksandnewspaperswerebannedfrombeingsold,”SelmisaysinaninterviewwhenImeethiminTunis.Hebelievesthat“havingtofaceaverypresentcensorship,comicsasotherliterarygenreshavebeenpreventedfromentirelyexpressingthemselves.”
COMICSANDTUNISIA
Inthelastyearthough,SelmihasbeenwitnessinghowtheArabcomicssectoris(re)establishingitself.Dependingonthecontext,thecomicsartwasborn,galvanizedorinvigoratedbytheprotestmovementsof2011.Before,itgenerallyattractedayoungeraudience,butsincethemid2000sandespeciallyafter2011,graphicnovelsandcomicsmagazinesforadults(speakingaboutsociopoliticalissuesconcerningadults)haveemergedintheArabworldandgainedawiderreadershipandattention.WhenImeetSelmiinTunishegivesmecopiesofcomicsmagazinesfromMorocco(Skefkef),Tunisia(Lab619andKousksyBilaban)andEgypt(TokTok).IalsoreceiveacopyofaLebanon-basedannualtrilingualalmanacdevotedtotheninthart(atermforcomicsstrips),Samandal,foundedbackin2007.
Photocredit:Shefkef
SelmitravelledtoCasablancainFebruaryforaworkshopwiththeteamofSkefkef,whichisnamedafteratypicalMoroccansandwich(madeofmysteriousingredients).TheprojectaimstoexploretheMoroccansocialandculturaldimensionsthroughdrawingsandtextsthatmovebetweentheseriousandthesatirical.Then,inSeptember,hewenttoEgypttojointhejuryofCairoComix,anewfestivaldedicatedtotheninthartwhichwouldliketoconnectcomicsartistsandillustratorsfromtheArabandotherregions.
So,todaycancomicsbecalledthecontemporaryliterature?“Thecomicisnolongerasimplisticanddecorativeart.Itcontinuestoexploreadifferentnarrativeandvisualpathsthroughgraphicsandmorecomplexstorytellingapproachesthatonlythismediumcanoffer,”Selmisays.“AgreatexampleisChrisWare’sgraphicnovel‘JimmyCorrigan,theSmartestKidonEarth’whichIconsideroneofthebestbooksintheworldforitsdaringvisualandnarrative.TaiyouMatsumotoandhisfabulousTekkonKinkurito,DavidMazzucchelliandhishumongousAsteriosPolyparefurtherexamples.
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Itwasin1966thatcomicsfirstappearedinTunisiainachildren'smagazine:Irfane.ItwasentirelyinArabic,accordingtoanarticleonAfricacultureswhichSelmigaveme.ThejournalwaspublishedbytheTunisianfederationofyouthorganizations,astatedependentinstitution.Then,inthe70s,80sand90sanumberoforiginalalbums,childrenmagazinesandnewspapercomicsbecamemorepopular.Also,newfestivalscelebratingcomicswerelaunchedsuchastheFestivalofTazarkafoundedin1997,theoldestofitskindinAfrica.In2000,theveryactiveBouhaoualaHabiborganisedthe‘FestivalméditerranéendeBDetdel'imagedeTunis’(theMediterraneanFestivalofComicsandImagesofTunis)withanexhibitionoforiginalartworksbytheItaliancomicsartistHugoPratt.
“InTunisia,Franco-Belgiancomicsstillenjoypopularity,especiallywithintheelite,”Selmisays.Butthenheinvitesmetoattend,ontheeveningofthesameday,thebooksigningofthenewestintermsofTunisiancomics:Lab619.Itisamagazineforyoungadultsthateverythreemonthspublishesblack-and-whitecomicsinArabicandFrench.Theeventtakesplace
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inanewprivatespacerunbytheTunisianphotographerGhozlaniWassimandOlfaFeki:LaMaisondel’Image(TheHouseofImages).There,IwillmeetNohaHabib,justawardedatCairoComixforherworkinLab619.Inthelastissueofthemagazine,hercomicopensuptoacurrentandsensitivequestionintheTunisiansociety:masculinityandtherelationshipbetweenateenager,withadifferentsexualorientation,andhisparents.
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SometimesSelmi’scommentsarepervadedbyapessimisticsenseofdisbeliefinthefuture,eveniftheobjectofourconversationis(merely)comics:“ComicsinTunisiaandintheArabworldaretodayafairlyelitistandminorart.ForeignbooksareveryexpensiveforTunisiansandtheTunisiancurrentproductionisquitelimitedandsufferingfromapoordistribution.”
Overthelast25yearsthepublichaschanged.Selmibelievesthat“thenewgenerationismoreconnectedtothescreensthantopaper.Theproblemisalsoglobal.Elsewhere,pressandpublishinghousesaretryingtofindwaystovarytheirproductionandberead.”
FROMPAPERTOPIXELS(ANDVICEVERSA)
MuchofSelmi’sgraphicillustrationsendupinmagazines.HehasworkedfortheParis-basedArabsocio-culturalmagazineRukh,theBeirut-basednon-profitpublicationTheLegalAgenda,andfortheLebanesemagazineoffashion,illustrationandmusicFIMP.Actually,mostofhisartnowcomesfromgraphicdesign,includingcommercialadvertising.HeiscreativeassociatedirectoratPointcarre,aTunisiancommunicationandadvertisingagencythatjoinedtheTBWAnetwork.
Selmifindsinpostersacreativemediumtoexpresshimself,whenitisforsocialutility.Heactivatedaboldmechanismofcommunicationthroughsignsandwordsusinganexuberantvisuallanguagewhenhecreated-forexample-proposalsforthetheatreposterofSinofSuccess,aplaywrittenbytheTunisiandirectorandauthorMeriamBousselmi.
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“Weliveinamachocountryandpeoplestilldenyit.Thereisagapbetweenthelawandtheofficialdebateandwhatisactuallyhappening.Iwantedthepostertobeprovocativeenoughtoquestionsuchrelationship,”hesays.TheplaytellsthestoryofayoungArabartistwhoseesherselfcheatedoutofherfestivalawardbyamemberofherowntheatregroup.
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ElisaPierandrei@shotofwhisky
ElisaisanItalianjournalistandauthorbasedinMilan.SheholdsanM.A.inJournalismandMassCommunicationfromtheAmericanUniversityinCairo.ShewritesaboutcontemporaryArabculture.
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