Ali Farzat: Syrian Political Cartoonist

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Ali Farzat: Syrian Political Cartoonist Being savagely beaten and getting his hand shattered, Ali Farzat fought injustice with his cartoons, and caricatures of the oppressive Syrian regime. Farzat began his career generally criticizing social and political issues, without specifically attacking one regime or leader, to avoid censorship. However, after political events started to heat up in Syria in 2011, causing atrocities like torture, murders of little kids, and extreme injustice, Farzat felt the need to be the voice of the revolting public. His caricatures, which used symbols to criticize authoritative figures, and lament the condition of Syria, became successful in reaching the hearts of almost all oppressed, and unoppressed Syrians. His art was the voice that Syrians needed to believe they had the right to wish for freedom of speech. Farzat introduced a form of art, that Syrians were not particularly familiar with, but were completely in need of. He wanted all Syrians to believe that they have the right to protest, and to ask for freedom, no matter how improbable that might be. His tools were his cartoons which sometimes portrayed President Bashar, who should be giving a speech, as simply talking, with only bubbles coming out of his mouth. His boldness and fearlessness was a new form of art that introduced Syrians to a new region of freedom of expression, and rebellion against the authorities. However, the hands that unveiled the horridness of an unjust, and corrupt system, had to be beaten and broken, by that system. Farzat drew what Syrians were scared to even say out loud. He reached all of their tormented hearts through simply drawing cartoon figures, that might put a smile on their faces for brief moments, but will surely trigger their hearts forever. His story of how he himself faced oppression, but refused to let it curb him from showing everyone

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