The Identity of Hope: A Graphic Novel

The Identity of Hope: A Graphic Novel

The Identity of Hope: A Graphic Novel

By : Shifaa Alsairafi

Shifaa Alsairafi began writing the following graphic novel as a children’s book dedicated to telling the story of Yazidi refugees, as she felt there was a dearth of information on the group. Little is known about the Yazidi population and the international community has largely ceased to mention them in the news. She spoke with members of the Yazidi community in DC and in Berlin, Germany in order to form a better basis for this book. She was inspired by their journeys and their courage and hopes that this book conveys at least an inkling of their stories. Layla herself is a fictional character, whose story is drawn from a multitude of stories heard during the research phase of this project. The book is meant to inspire others to learn more about this great community, their history, and their futures, not just their suffering.

[Download the novel by clicking the picture.]

Helen Zughaib: Arab Spring (Unfinished Journeys)

Late last year York College Galleries in Pennsylvania hosted Arab Spring (Unfinished Journeys), the solo exhibition of artist Helen Zughaib.

The exhibition’s featured paintings, installations, and conceptual works were created between 2008 and 2016. In these years, Zughaib watched the 2008/2009 attack on Gaza from afar, responding with scenes of grief-stricken, weeping women paralyzed beneath the fall of bombs. She also returned to her native Lebanon for the first time since fleeing war-torn Beirut in the 1970s, and produced a series of text-based paintings. Later she was hopeful when uprisings swept across North Africa and the Middle East, cloaking her figures in spiraling floral patterns; but soon began to document the number of Syrian civilians killed since 2012 with a series of public performances and related images. More recently, she has created a number of conceptual works that describe the difficulties of the mass migration that has swept across Europe from North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, particularly for children.

Narrated by the artist, the short film below (produced by York College Galleries) takes viewers into Arab Spring (Unfinished Journeys), revealing what inspired many of the included works and how concepts and forms aim to record the mounting devastation of this time.

Thanks to Matthew Clay-Robison, director of York College Galleries, for allowing Jadaliyya to feature this film.  

Helen Zughaib at York College from Jadaliyya on Vimeo.