The Last Week at An-Najah

With all the complications of teaching an art class in Nablus, we have finally come to the end of our course. The students are buisy inking their stories and revising text. The expression of accomplishment plastered across each of their eager young faces, is exhilerating to watch. Considering the students were for the most part, unfamiliar with this art form, their raw talent in this medium is surprising as was their ability to comprehend critical elements of sequential art in a matter of days. With only three weeks to complete the project, we began with some of the most famous graphic novels and studies the techniques of illustrators. Then we brainstormed story lines that depicted life in Palestine. The definition of their task was essential, being able to imagine a provocative story that was based on personal experience. As you will see, some students such as Ahmed Masri and Nisreen Qawwas, chose to explicitly draw their personal experiences while others used their own experience to draw a fictional graphic story. Using this Palestinian youth perspective, their collection of work will guide you through the daily struggles of life in the West Bank.

Once the final inking is complete we will start putting together a massive exhibtion at An-Najah University with hopefully local and international media. Give us your bets wishes for a successfull event. At that time, we hope to start working with a local printer and chain of bookstores to get it published and registered with the Ministry of Education under the Palestinian Authority.