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Political cartoonist KHALID ALBAIH. Photo by and courtesy John Mireles and CULTURUNNERS.
Coming off a road trip with CULTURUNNERS—an independent arts organization that promotes cultural exchange by inviting artists to create and exhibit works while traveling from place to place—influential political cartoonist Khalid Albaih recently journeyed across the United States against the backdrop of the country’s presidential elections. The project was his attempt to explore the shared struggle for human and civil rights between the Middle East and the United States, but was also research for a new series of his notoriously stark and politically-charged work.
Born in Romania, and Sudanese by heritage, Albaih is a cartoonist whose works have appeared in international exhibits and publications, but also painted on walls in various cities ranging from Tehran to Beirut. He argues that the accessibility of political cartoons makes it the most engaging form of art that has universal appeal. As part of his collaboration with CULTURUNNERS, Albaih investigated local civil and human rights issues while traveling from the US capital to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, via New York and Texas. The project also caught the eye of The Guardian, which commissioned a small documentary about Albaih’s road trip that will be released on their website later this year.
Recently, Albaih has returned to his day job as Head of Installation and Design for Public Art at Qatar Museums in Doha, but continues to work on various personal projects, including a graphic novel about immigrants arriving in Europe. Albaih continues to publish his new works on his Facebook page titled “Khartoon! By Khalid Albaih,” which is a play on Khartoum, the name of the capital of Sudan.
Earlier this month, Albaih, who currently lives in Doha, spoke to ArtAsiaPacific on various topics, including how and where he first learned to draw, why Malcolm X is an inspiration, and what he learned on his road trip across the United States.
Why did you choose political cartoons as your method of communication?
I always liked comics, superheroes and animation. For example, growing up I loved everything—from Captain Majed and Grendizer to Batman and Superman, and [the latter’s] alter ego Nabil Fawz [the Arabic name for Clark Kent]. Although we didn’t necessarily have similar heroes in the Arabic context, comics gave me the feeling of the universality of superheroes and their willingness to die for a good cause.
[After settling in Doha as a teenager] I tried to read and draw more. Back then my father bought Egyptian magazines like Sabah al-Khair and Rose al-Yūsuf, and both magazines opened my eyes to a new world. They got me interested in the possibility of visual political engagement. They not only focused on issues in Egypt, but presented them in a different way—sometimes funny, sometimes not. I found that the medium itself was really approachable. Politics is the reason why I didn’t have a home, so I’ve always been interested in politics. Political cartoons are my way of asking questions.
To set up some background: How did someone of Sudanese descent find themselves in Doha by way of Romania?
My father was a diplomat, so I was born in Romania [while he was stationed there]. We soon went back to Sudan, but a revolution in 1989 brought Omar al-Bashir to power in a military coup d’état. What happened next is what happens in every revolution: everyone that worked for the previous administration was ousted—either they left voluntarily or resigned themselves to the fact that they’ll never find work in Sudan again. We had family in Doha, but we actually moved to Saudi Arabia first for a very brief time, and that is where I learned how to draw, since there was nothing to do and I didn’t know anyone.
How did your artwork become politically charged?
I’ve lived in Doha [for some time now] and all these things have been happening in the region. In 2010 I met a lot of people online; the internet provides such an open platform where everyone can easily connect and, especially in this context, people are trying to work towards change. I try to provide support with what I can do—through cartoons and also spreading the word through my art. Observing the early start of the Arab Spring, I was actively tweeting and making connections with individuals heavily involved in the movements, so my work was used in slogans and posters. It was such a positive development for revolution, for change. The internet opened the doors for that.
How do you feel about the overlap between politics and art?
With political cartoons you can open the conversation; with a doodle you can start a dialogue. When I started [creating political cartoons] in university, it was around the time of union elections, and even though I was just making fun of certain issues, the students loved it. It’s a very approachable art form, that both a ten-year-old and a university professor can appreciate. It’s not “art” as in contemporary art, which is very limited [as a communication medium], because it tends to speak only to a certain set of people—whereas political cartoons are universally accessible.
In your opinion, what are the limits of working in the Middle East?
Political work in the Middle East is always interesting. I do work around limits, but I know what they are. There is no set red line, but everyone is aware of what and how much you can push.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
As a cartoonist I get inspiration mostly from conversations, so being on a road trip with CULTURUNNERS and talking to all those people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds was really eye-opening. Of course, my other [source of] inspiration is always current events.
How did your collaboration with CULTURUNNERS start?
Stephen [Stapleton, co-founder of CULTURUNNERS] reached out to me, and I suggested traveling across the United States, particularly during this specific time period in the lead-up to the US presidential elections. It’s a good time to look at America, whose culture and history changed the world. Also, I’ve always been fascinated by Malcolm X and find a lot of similarities with his history as a black, Muslim, socially engaged activist—especially with his switch to a more inclusive focus toward human rights after his trip to Mecca—and I really wanted to know more about how the civil rights movement happened in the US. The kind of struggles we have now in the Middle East is not necessarily based on race, but rather tribal groups. Understanding how to get everyone under one banner—as the US did with their flag, for example—stumps me. Regionally, we find all affronts to our specific identity as a personal attack. We want to fight and protect our idea of identity.
How was it for someone who is not American to drive across the country and observe its current political climate?
We tried to avoid big cities. We tried to go to smaller cities. Most people that we met, their knowledge was limited: they knew that Hillary is Bill Clinton’s wife; that [Donald] Trump is from television and is going to run the country like a successful business, and that he tells the truth and speaks his mind; and Bernie [Sanders] wants to give things away for free, but that the people don’t want to give away things for free. The powerful position of the [local and national] media cannot be denied—it was the media that helped Trump become a forefront candidate in the elections. The entire world should be able to vote in American politics, since the country’s influence is worldwide, including in Sudan where it has imposed sanctions. That’s why I went on the [CULTURUNNERS] tour—to see how people see us in the United States and vice versa.