Why Handala, a Palestinian cartoon character by Naji al-Ali, inspires protesters
When pro-Palestinian student protesters took over Columbia University's Hamilton Hall last month and renamed it “Hind's Hall,” the banner they unfurled featured images of a cartoon character created over 50 years ago who symbolizes the resilience of the Palestinians.On either side of the text were two images of a barefoot boy with tattered clothes and spiky hair, his back to us.The character is called Handala (variously transliterated as Hanzala or Handzala), a name derived from a native plant that is deeply rooted, persistent, and bears bitter fruit, and has become a powerful symbol of the Palestinian struggle. The image was created in 1969 by Palestinian political cartoonist Naji Al-Ali, one of the most read cartoonists in the Arab world, who was murdered in London in 1987. (The...