Symbol and personification of the Palestinian people
Fictional character
Handala
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Handala, the Palestinian defiance symbol
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First appearance
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Last appearance
| 1987
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Created by
| Naji al-Ali
|
---|
|
Full name
| ?????
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---|
Gender
| Male
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Occupation
| 10 year old child
|
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Affiliation
| Justice, steadfastness (see
sumud
), poverty
|
---|
Origin
| Palestinian refugee
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Nationality
| Palestinian
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Handala
(
Arabic
:
?????
,
romanized
:
?an?ala
), also
Handhala
,
Hanzala
or
Hanthala
, is a prominent
national symbol
and
personification
of the
Palestinian people
.
[1]
[2]
The character was created in 1969 by
political cartoonist
Naji al-Ali
, and first took its current form in 1973. Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali's cartoons and remains an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance. The character has been described as "portraying war, resistance, and the Palestinian identity with astounding clarity".
[3]
The name comes from
Citrullus colocynthis
(
Arabic
:
????
,
romanized
:
?an?al
), a
perennial plant
local to the
region of Palestine
which bears a bitter fruit, grows back when cut and has deep roots.
Handala's impact has continued in the decades after al-Ali's 1987 assassination; today the character remains widely popular as a representative of the
Palestinian people
, and is found on numerous walls and buildings throughout the
West Bank
(notably as
West Bank Wall graffiti art
),
Gaza
and other
Palestinian refugee camps
, and as a popular tattoo and jewellery motif. It has also been used by movements such as
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
and the
Iranian Green Movement
.
Early publication
Handala appeared for the first time in
Al-Seyassah
in
Kuwait
on 13 July 1969,
[1]
and first turned his back to the viewer and clasped his hands behind his back from 1973 onwards.
[5]
Symbolism
Handala's age ? ten years old ? represents
Naji al-Ali
's age in 1948 when he was forced to leave Palestine and would not grow up until he could return to his homeland:
[6]
Al-Ali wrote that:
Handala was born 10 years old and he will always be 10 years old. It was at that age that I left my homeland. When Handala returns, he will still be 10 years old, and then he will start growing up.
His posture, with his turned back and clasped hands, symbolises the character's "rejection at a time when solutions are presented to us the American way" and as "a symbol of rejection of all the present negative tides in our region."
His ragged clothes and standing barefoot symbolise his allegiance to the poor.
Al-Ali described Handala as "the symbol of a just cause":
He was the arrow of the compass, pointing steadily towards Palestine. Not just Palestine in geographical terms, but Palestine in its humanitarian sense?the symbol of a just cause, whether it is located in Egypt, Vietnam or South Africa.
[6]
Legacy
Al-Ali stated in an interview prior to his assassination that: "Handala, whom I created, will not end after I die. I hope that this is not an exaggeration when I say that I will continue to live in Handala, even after I die". Current usages of the Handala motif include:
Gallery
See also
Bibliography
References
- ^
a
b
Faber, Michel (10 July 2009).
"Review: A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
Alazzeh, Ala (2012). "Abu Ahmad and His Handalas". In LeVine, Mark; Shafir, Gershon (eds.).
Struggle and Survival in Palestine/Israel
. University of California Press. pp. 427?444.
ISBN
978-0-520-26252-2
.
JSTOR
10.1525/j.ctt1ppwdk.34
.
…one of the most popular symbols of Palestinian nationalism.
- ^
Gandolfo 2010
, p. 60.
- ^
Ashley, John; Jayousi, Nedal.
"Discourse, Culture, and Education in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 49 The Connection between Palestinian Culture and the Conflict"
(PDF)
.
Netanya Academic Centre
. Retrieved
17 September
2014
.
- ^
a
b
?Al?, N?j?; Al-Ali, Naji (2009).
A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji Al-Ali
. Verso Books.
ISBN
978-1-84467-365-0
.
[
page needed
]
- ^
Sadeghi, Shirin (18 November 2009).
"QODS DAY: Protesters Transform Jerusalem Day Into Iran Day"
.
HuffPost
.
- ^
Zohar, Gil Stern (7 January 2011).
"Guest Columnist: Srulik, meet Handala"
.
The Jerusalem Post
.
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