Female Arab cartoonist Hannah Hajjar uses caricature to wage “a kind of intellectual jihad”

After studying fine art in Saudi Arabic and interning at Al Ahram newspaper in Egypt, Hajjar entered the world of cartoon artwork and now specializes in “no comment caricature, which uses only images to convey a message."  She has been drawing for Arab News for over two years and publishes 10 to 15 drawings each month.  

Although she does not like to restrict herself to any one topic, Hajjar says that she tends to draw political caricatures as a way of supporting “the nations that suffer from occupation or persecution.” For example, she has used her artwork to criticize certain “bad habits” she believes to be unrelated to the tradition of fasting during Ramadan.

As a caricaturist, Hajjar understands that her work is restricted by “executive, and not intellectual” limits because caricature art “can be a two-edged blade,” often leading to the firing of newspaper editors.  She sees caricature as “a fine art that addresses the problems facing the people” but also follows roughly the same guidelines as journalists, refraining from scorn of religious values or including obscene language.

When asked about the relative lack of female Arab cartoonists, Hajjar explained that men have traditionally dominated the profession. Additionally, she believes that the generally non-confrontational nature of women may also have kept them from entering the profession. Nevertheless, she encourages women, “who do not lack the talents and creative ideas,” to break into the field of caricature artwork.

Source: The Arab Press Network