The General Union of Cultural Centers (GUCC) organized a caricature exhibition entitled (Comic lines) in the hall of the Red Crescent in Gaza on Wednesday and Thursday in 22-23/12/2010 within " better future for Youth" project funded by the Association of Norwegian people's aid. 15 cartoonists participated in this exhibition from Arab and foreign countries, with 70 cartoons about the most important political and social issues and crimes of the Israeli occupation, division, and negotiations.
The cartoonists are :-
Majed Badra, Abu-Noon, Saba'neh Mohammed, Abu Mohammed Abu Afifa and Osama Salti from Palestine
Ali Farzat, Raed Khalil, Yasser Ahmed, Fahd Bahady, Nidal Deeb, Fadi Fadel, and Nizar Othman from Syria.
And from France Bernard Bouton the secretary of the European Union cartoonists (FECO), and Petter Nieuwendjik from Netherlands the President of the Federation of European painters (FECO) and Athanassios Afthimiades from Greece.
This exhibition has a clear message to the world that caricature is an active artistical and cultural weapon to expose the crimes of the Israeli occupation and show the truth to the world by not only Palestinian pens, but also pens from Arab and foreign countries.
It is worth mentioning that the Greek cartoonist Athanassios Afthimiades is one of the participants in the exhibition, died at the last day of the exhibition at the date of 12.23.2010, and comic lines exhibition was the last artistical participation.
Eng. Sherine Abdel-Rahman, the manager of the project said that this exhibition presents various Arabic, international and local creations focusing mostly on Arabic,Palestinian political, and social cause, including messages with a human dimension.
She added that the exhibition offers for people from Gaza opportunity to see arts in different tools.
Mr.Yousry Darwish,the chairman of the General Union of Cultural Centers (GUCC), who is in the international Youth conference in South Africa, sends greetings for cartoonist for accepting invitation beside their Palestinian artists fellows and he considered this exhibition is challenge of crimes, occupation, siege and division.
Mr.Darwish said that the participation of Arab and foreign artists confirms that the Palestinian cause are carrying humanitarian dimensions of a broad and emphasizes the importance of attracting foreign solidarity
Cartoonist / Eng. Majed Badra, the exhibition's coordinator said that he is glad for the participation cartoonists and their interaction for the Palestinian cause, and he said that cartoonists made great efforts to raise the voice of freedom and justice and hopes of our people by cartoons in this exhibition.
and he sent greetings to all those who helped with the success of the exhibition and a special tribute to the spirit of the Greek artist Athanassios Afthimiades.
