The rituals of Ramadan “in the time of Corona” inspire cartoonists in the Arab world

In light of the news of the Corona epidemic, cartoonists seek a critical and cynical vision, in an attempt to express the drama of the global situation on the pandemic with their philosophy and jokes. Finally, some cartoonists in Egypt have decided to get out of this prevailing negative atmosphere, with a positive step by organizing a virtual group exhibition Investigating the rituals of the holy month of Ramadan in the light of social distancing and isolation within homes.

The exhibition, entitled “Ramadaniyat”, does not recognize the geographical borders closed by the Corona virus, as artists from different countries of the world participate, whose contributions have been collected in a five-minute video clip prepared and edited by Saudi cartoonist Ayman Al -Ghamri, who oversaw the exhibition every By Egyptian artist Fawzi Morsi and Emirati artist Amna Al Hammadi.

According to artist Fawzi Morsi, organizer of the exhibition and member of the board of directors of the Egyptian Caricature Association, following the success of the “Ramadaniyat” exhibition organized by the Egyptian Cartoon Association in collaboration with the sector of the Cultural Development Fund last Ramadan, and the participation was limited to Egyptian artists only, “We have decided that It will be an annual exhibition to be held in the middle of Ramadan, and participation is open to all artists from different countries of the Arab and Islamic world.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Given the circumstances we are going through with the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and the cancellation of all art events and exhibitions to avoid gatherings, we have made the decision to organize the exhibition electronically, to be the first electronic exhibit to be viewed through a video broadcast through websites and social networks. It made a big impact, especially after everyone has been in their homes for long periods due to the ban, for being the first event of its kind, since its organization includes the Egyptian Caricature Association, the Moroccan Caricature Association, the Kuwait Caricature Association and the Jordanian Tomito Cartoon website.

The exhibition includes 55 cartoons and 55 artists from 15 Arab and foreign countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Bahrain, Tunisia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and United States of America. The exhibition is open to all medical personnel from all over the world, which represents the first line of defense against the Corona pandemic.

In the panels of the exhibition, “icons” of the holy month of Ramadan from mosques, lanterns and breakfast cannons are gathered together and are crowded with symbols that have become associated with the atmosphere of the Corona virus, particularly masks, isolation within the homes and lack of mosques. And with it another theme, which is the impact of the Corona virus on the various rituals and customs of Ramadan, and it was surprising that most artists were eager to participate in the expression of this influence, especially as the caricature has a great responsibility in light of the spread of this pandemic, which is the responsibility of raising the level of health awareness. To citizens, through some participation actions, they send a series of awareness messages to solicit and encourage people to stay at home, and to adhere to various preventive and precautionary measures to avoid contagion from Coronavirus.