‘Hanzala from Naci El-Ali’ Exhibition Opened at Erzurum Culture Road Festival
On the first day of the Erzurum Culture Road Festival, which will be held between 17-25 August, an important exhibition was opened in the foyer area of the Erzurum Museum. The exhibition ‘Hanzala from Naci Al-Ali’ focuses on the works of Naci Al-Ali, one of Palestine’s best-known cartoonists. Al-Ali was born in 1938 in the village of Secere in the Galilee region of Palestine. However, when he was only 10 years old, he had to migrate with his family to Southern Lebanon. This process was a turning point that deeply affected his artistic life.
Naci El-Ali created the character of Hanzala, who does not grow up and always remains 10 years old, on July 13, 1969, in Kuwait. Hanzala is depicted as a child with his hands tied behind his back and his back turned to people. This character has become one of the most important symbols of the Palestinian struggle. Unfortunately, Al-Ali died as a result of an assassination attempt in 1987; But Hanzala’s influence still continues in the art world and the Palestinian resistance.
Voice of Palestine: Hanzala
The Hanzala character drawn by Naci El-Ali was put on display at the Culture Road Festival organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Erzurum. The curator of the exhibition, Samed Karagöz, conveyed the deep meaning of this character to the audience by exhibiting various drawings of Hanzala in the exhibition in the foyer area of the Erzurum Museum. Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan, Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi and many guests had the opportunity to visit the exhibition.
Curator Samed Karagöz said the following about the meaning of Hanzala’s character and Naci El-Ali’s art: “Hanzala is a 10-year-old child. Naci El-Ali became a refugee when he was 10 years old. In fact, this situation tells “his own story.” We always see Hanzala from behind, which shows that he doesn’t care about the world. He says, ‘I don’t care about what is happening in the world. ‘I only look at the problems in Palestine.’ “It shows that Christians are also experiencing difficulties. He directs his criticism towards Israel, America, England and European countries, and criticizes those who leave Palestine alone and those who do not support it.” he stated.
Collaboration with Naci Al-Ali’s Family
Stating that he contacted Naci El-Ali’s family to organize the Hanzala exhibition within the scope of the Cultural Path Festival, Karagöz said, “I received these drawings from his family. They sent them to me digitally. We organized this exhibition within the framework of the Cultural Path Festivals with their consent and permission. Hanzala is one of the symbols of resistance of Palestine.” I reached out to Al-Ali’s son through a friend of mine and said, ‘Cultural Road Festivals are being held in Turkey. Can we showcase Hanzala in the festivals? ‘I think we should continue to talk about Palestine because of the great human tragedy in Gaza.’ “They gladly accepted it.” he said.
Hanzala exhibition attracted great attention from visitors. Because people have a sensitivity about Palestine and such events constitute an important means for the Palestinian issue not to be forgotten.
