By hosting two representatives of the Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
AAUP Media and Arabic Language Department at Faculty of Arts organizes an introductory session, for its students, on the art of caricature, its techniques and Palestinian history // background by hosting the Cartoonists Rights Network International representatives Mohammed Sabaneh and Ramzi Al Taweel.
Media Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Media Said Abu Maalla opened the meeting, welcoming audience and stressing on the importance of the caricature art in delivering messages, noting this type of art plays an important role as a tool for communication among communities of different cultures, ideas, languages and nationalities. A number of cartoon artists have been attacked and others have given their lives to this art and lost the bet, Naji Al Ali is a model.
Mohammad Saba'aneh and the Cartoonists Rights Network International representative defined the art of caricature and what it faces, noting its pure dialectical art and an important indicator on freedoms ceiling in any society. Mentioning, what many local and global cartoonists faced from crises, arrests... etc., stressing on importance of supporting freedom of expression and stand with the cartoonists to face the crises they suffer. Stressing on caricature as important indicator on freedom of opinion and expression. Explaining, the Cartoonists Rights Network International plays significant role in protecting cartoonists, Saba'aneh displayed number of cases and what they faced, how to deal with them and support them by the institution.
The cartoonist and researcher Ramzi Al-Taweel discussed drawing techniques and its history in Palestine. He pointed, art has been linked to political awareness since the Ottoman Empire days then Mandate until the present time, explaining this art’s history one of many forms of political resistance against the British occupation then the Israeli occupation, noting that Palestinian record is full of many caricature creatives who either became martyrs or prisoners hoping that people can brought a new generation of painters to complete the great cartoonists bath who carried the Palestinian cause in the darkest circumstances.