‘Al Khan’ the Egyptian And ‘Dry Bones’ the Israeli

 A month ago I came across the Egyptian newspaper “Daily News” and discovered the daily strip ‘Al Khan’ created by Tarek Shahin a young Egyptian cartoonist.I was stricken by  the fact that in a country were the Hesba lawsuits and other calamities my intimidate cartoonists to punch with their satiric fist in the face of the Egyptian society, ‘Al Khan’ his satirical cartoons, appeared in the newspaper without harming the cartoonist.

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To day I found on Menassat an article about Tarek Shahin’s work.  Being asked by the interviewer if he is being censored Tarek Shahin says, I quote,

…”  ‘No’, he says decisively. ‘I have never been subjected to intimidation.
‘Could it be that his choice of English makes him a lesser target than his colleagues writing in Arabic?
‘No, I don’t think it will protect me more than other journalists.’ “…

Many times seeing the difficulties of Egyptian and Arab creators in their respective countries I find their perseverance and dedication to bridge between the possible and the dangerous a remarkable achievement:

…” ‘But the goal of Al Khan is not only to give its readers a good laugh over their morning coffee,’ Shahin says. Al Khan will come to serve as a ‘bridge between cultures,’ connecting readers from across the world with Egypt.”…

….”Through his fictional newspaper, Al Khan, and his personal blog, Cairo Freeze , Egyptian cartoonist Tarek Shahin offers a clever take on life, politics and social taboos in modern-day Egypt. MENASSAT spoke with the young cartoonist about challenging the clichés about Egypt, and telling Egypt’s story to the world at large.”, see here on MENASSAT…..

Putting nasty events into a context where we forget their nastiness and stupidity and remember only their nonsense made me laugh. My laughing ouburst are triggered by Tarek Shahin who sees and feel the hiding world of laughter and translated it in my every day language with his cartoons.

Now in Israel the situation is much easier. There are no Hesba lawsuits and satirical cartoonists shoot their empoisoned laughing arrows in every direction and everyone feel good with that, even the targeted politicians, celebrities and events.

One of the best Israeli cartoonist is Dry Bones Cartoonist Yaakov  Kirschen. Looking at his cartoons I  undestand Tarek (Al Khan) Shahin’s common traits with  Yaakov (Bones) Kirschen: the Egyptian and the Israeli cartoonists cooperate in the invisible space of laughter, far away from the earthly vissitudes of censorship… but only for the people who wants to laugh.