Location
The official book launch for the West Bank Graphic Novel
In addition to a display featuring excerpts from the novel, the Toronto-based volunteer editor, Rebecca Cox, will be speaking about her experience teaching and working with the students to compile this graphic novel.
This phenomenal piece of work was produce wholly by Palestinian youth in the West Bank and sponsored by Canadian-Palestinian NGO, Project Hope. The collaborative graphic stories cover a wide range of experiences from the rural, urban and refugee perspective.
Taking place over May-June 2009, the students were provided with an introduction to the genre of graphic novels and the advantages of its use for cross-cultural communication, as well as the technical know-how on how to create a graphic novel -- the stories are their own. In On This Earth We Deserve Life, author-artist Ahmed reveals his struggle to find the means to further his education -- to pass high school and enter university - despite poverty and deadly street encounters with the Israeli military.
In Freedom to Play author-artist Samia reveals how random violence flares up at any moment debilitating kids' access to education and play-time. The West Bank Graphic Novel will go on sale, in which proceeds will be used to provide employment opportunities for the graphic novel artists, engaging with their communities and transferring the acquired skills to summer and after-school programs.
For more information about the West Bank Graphic Novel, please contact Lemma Ibrahim at 647.726.9500.
