Experience is a solid walking stick...

20 The Niles
> Departure: Romania
> Arrival: Qatar via Khartoum, Sudan
> Distance: 5,550km
“I don’t risk my
life to feed
stereotypes”
> Departure: London
> Arrival: Juba
> Distance: 5,859km
“Life here is
rewarding but
testing”
Sudanese caricaturist Khalid Albaih moved
from Romania to Sudan before finally settling
in Qatar. His distance from his home gives him
more freedom to criticise his home country.
By Hassan Faroog
Y
ou have moved around a lot. Where do you consider home?
I was born in Romania, as my father was a consul in the Romanian
Embassy. We returned to Sudan but left again in 1991 after the
current government came to power and my father was sacked along
with many colleagues. I studied in the United Arab Emirates.
Definitely, my focus is on Sudan as it is my homeland and I love
it more than any other country.
When did your interest in caricature start?
My father played a major role in this, as he was a reader of the
two Egyptian magazines Rose Al-Youssef and Sabah El-Khir. These
two magazines were keen on caricatures and I loved how they would
merge politics and art. I studied graphic design at university and
started drawing caricatures as a hobby after graduation.
Did you grow up in a political family? How did that affect you?
My family is politically oriented and that formed my character.
My uncle is Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Suwar al-Dahab, interim
president after former President Jaafer Nimeiry was toppled. His
cousin is Babker al-Nur, one of the leaders who staged the 1971 coup
and was subsequently executed along with a large number of
Nimeiry’s officers.
I closely followed political debates as a little boy. Our family was
split between Communists and Islamists. Despite our ideological
differences we remained a good family and there was no extremism.
Have you faced difficulties because of your work?
Definitely. My drawings have been rejected by all the magazines
and newspapers in Sudan, Qatar and Egypt. I’ve been told that
my drawing style was weird and my drawings were too powerful
to be published. I think our generation has a different way of thinking
than our parents. We grew up in a more modern world. Looking
at the Arab Spring, we can see the difference in ideology between
the two generations.
How did you overcome these problems?
I published my drawings on my Facebook page. I abandoned
newspapers and resorted to the internet. During that period, protests
erupted and the Arab Spring started in Tunisia. I interacted with the
events and in no time, my drawings attracted attention from around
the world. I was very emotionally involved in what was happening
in the Arab World.
Did your caricatures find their way into newspapers?
Yes, they did, though I did not take any money for publishing
my drawings. My caricatures were published in the New York Times,
The Guardian, The Atlantic as well as newspapers in Germany
and Brazil. They were on the BBC, Al Jazeera, and Al Arabiya.
In general, I work with institutions more than newspapers as I think
of my caricatures as an educative tool. I was raised in many countries
including Sudan, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
During those years, I was very connected to the internet and,
as a result, my work is global.
Have you received threats?
Yes, I received threats on the internet from Sudan and other countries.
I was arrested and investigated in Egypt. In general, as long
as you raise contentious issues, your life will be in danger, but those
working on the ground are in greater danger than me. I live abroad
and I can express my opinions.
Do you see any difference between Arabic and Western political cartoons
in terms of style or content?
I don’t think there is a difference in style as artists discover new
styles all the time via the internet. You can’t tell where an artist is from
by his style. In terms of content, I think cartoonists from this region
are way more creative talking about issues due to censorship and
self-censorship. We need to talk about taboos but in a way that our
society can appreciate. They understand the questions we are trying
to ask without being offended: offending people will divert attention
from what we are trying to say. We also face government censorship
– that is actually someone’s job! I avoid it by working as an independent
online cartoonist but my life is threatened every single time
I post a cartoon.
Are you Charlie?
I am not Charlie. I try to unite people and build bridges. I do not
do what Charlie has done, breaking the world down into separate
teams. Feeding stereotypes and doling out abuse under the banner
of freedom of speech is not why I risk my life every day.
Your cartoons also criticise Islamist extremists. How do you do that?
By showing people how narrow-minded these extremists are. By that
I mean not just Islamists but all extremists.
What challenges do you face in Doha?
There are no challenges as I live in the cyberspace and do my best
to stay away from any political movements. This is why I have two
names: my official one and a nickname I use to sign my drawings.
Do you want to return to Sudan or stay abroad?
Returning to Sudan has pros and cons. If I returned I would be close
to events as they unfold. However, staying abroad gives me a broader
perspective – plus I cannot guarantee my safety in Sudan.
Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese
cartoonist, based in Qatar.
Londoner Naomi Swain teaches yoga in South
Sudan and argues that it can help people
take their minds off their daily stress.
By Simon Bingo
W
hat are you doing in South Sudan?
I have been in South Sudan since January 2011, and have spent
ten years in Africa, in places including Uganda, Mozambique,
Zambia, Zanzibar, and South Sudan. I am here for work…
South Sudan is not an easy place to live but there are a lot
of opportunities.
What do you like about South Sudan?
South Sudanese people are welcoming and it is tremendously
cosmopolitan. Life here is rewarding but testing.
What don’t you like about South Sudan?
There is no regular power here. It gets hot when you have no
fan because of the inconsistent power supply. Sometimes it gets
to 50 degrees and that can make things difficult. Things are very
expensive here: This apartment costs US$3,000 a month, a lot
of money for a one bedroom flat.
Do you miss home?
I miss living somewhere where things are easily available in the
supermarkets. I miss my family and friends.
Why teach yoga in South Sudan?
People need to continue with normal life in such an insecure time.
Yoga is a good way to unwind... It gives you time to switch off.
Juba people are super busy. Day-to-day living here includes bad
mattresses and bad roads which can cause pain and tension.
Do South Sudanese people attend your classes too?
All sorts of people come including South Sudanese, Indian, Thai
people, and Japanese. I have men, women, old, young, fat and thin.
Last year I had classes in the refugee camp in Gorom, about half
an hour’s drive from Juba, and sometimes I teach in the Confident
Children Out of Conflict Centre on Sundays. I’ve also done some
classes in the women’s prison.
Do you think more South Sudanese should do yoga?
Yes. People here always complain about their shoulders, their breathing,
and that they can’t sleep. There is a lot of pain at present and
yoga can be key in helping people to take their minds off the stress.
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2015/3/31 1:50 PM