World Refugee Day

world refugee day illustration

20th of june is the World Refugee Day. and this is an illustrated calendar desktop for june 2011, that you can download by clicking on the picture above.
after stating the obvious, comes some more interesting details :) what is this illustration exactly? and why now?
this desktop illustration is part of  the social calendar project initiated by COSV. in october 2010 and in a previous collaboration with COSV Fouad and Rafic at the Lucca Comics & Games Festival, the people at COSV felt that the team we created was a great team with great talent. and they wanted to do a project that continue joining us together, even after going back to lebanon after the festival. so they initiated this project where each month an illustrator does a desktop image for a specific world social day in that month. the desktop images are then sent by email to many people over the world.

i always felt that drawing is a tool in my hands, even more like a gift, that i should be using for good causes. this project makes me somehow fulfill this sweet responsibility.

the following where my words when COSV asked me to explain about my drawing:
through this illustration i am trying to get an emotion across to you as a viewer. to make you put your shoes in the shoes of the refugees in the illustration. what if you were forced to leave your house your land and all your past behind?
hoping that this will leave you with a sense of empathy and a will to spread the word about this social injustice.

down there some details snapshots:

world refugee day illustration

world refugee day illustration detail

 

feedback is always appreciated. so tell me what you think about the illustration?
does it really get the feeling across?

also something that i would like to ask your opinion about:
for a second while drawing i thought that this illustration might be useless, thinking that it wouldn’t change the situation of any refugees in the world. but then it i realized that if i am not in a power of doing anything towards this social injustice the least i can do is acknowledging these people, telling them that we’re thinking about them, and that we know what it means to be in their position.
so, what do you think?  have you ever also had these thoughts?

 

 

 

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2 comments to World Refugee Day

  • It made me feel very melancholic.it made me think, are they leaving their country of coming back to it. As an Arab, I feel that I am a refuggee in my own home land.
    Technically, it is delicate as if your lines are whispering afraid of being heard..
    Bravo hanan.. Love your work
    A very sad refugee day to all..

  • Tony

    Hanan this is an amazing work. i kept on staring at the first illustartion around half an hour i was able to hear every single thing from those people in that image what they feel what they are thinking of. i simply Loved it….

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