Nadia Khiari

Nadia Khiari (Arabic: نادية خياري‎; born 21 May 1973) is a Tunisian cartoonist, painter, graffiti artist and art teacher. She is best known for her chronicles and cartoon collections about the Arab Springs,[1] particularly her character Willis the cat, dubbed the "Cat of the Revolution" in some sources.[2]

Nadia Khiari in 2016

Academic background

Academically, Khiari is a graduate of the Faculty of Plastic Arts in Aix-en-Provence, France, and teaches art at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tunis.[3] In 2013 she received the Docteur Honoris Causa from the University of Liège.[1]

Arab Spring

Khiari's work has been published in Siné Mensuel, Courrier International and Zelium. In criticism of the now-deposed leader, Ben Ali, she created a cartoon character, a cat named Willis, in January 2011, as an outlet on Facebook to air her feelings about the Arab Spring, and she now has over 41,000 followers.[1] She confessed that she draws "to take the heat off certain situations".[3] Due to the Ali regime's strict policies on criticism, to avoid being thrown into prison she was careful to "learn to trick, to suggest rather than to say".[4] She has said of her artwork and the revolution: "For me it's not a job. It's a freedom. Like I'm being born. Before the revolution, I was a zombie. I think, but I cannot express myself. So I didn't feel like I was alive. With the revolution I was born, like a baby. My first screaming was my drawing. And now for me it's a revolution in my art, totally. I can finally express myself and say what I think and criticize the government. For me I can finally do my passion: cartoons."[5] Aside from her cartoons, Khiari is also known for her work as a graffiti artist.[4]

Acclaim

Khiari has received significant acclaim for her artwork. She has been awarded the Honoré Daumier Award during the Second International meeting of Cartooning for Peace in Caen (2012), the Political Satire International Award in Forte dei Marmi (2014), and the Agora Med Award for Intercultural Dialogue in the Mediterranean (2015).[1] In 2016 she was named one of the BBC 100 Women.[6] In September 2016 she showcased her work at the Le Monde Festival.[4]

References
  1. "Willis from Tunis". Cartooningforpeace.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. "Nadia KHIARI : "Willis le chat fait la révolution en Tunisie"" (in French). TV5Monde. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  3. "Tunisian cartoonist Nadia Khiari: 'I draw to take the heat off certain situations' - video". The Guardian. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. "Nadia Khiari, des caricatures contre les dictatures". Le Monde (in French). 9 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. "Nadia Khiari's "Willis in Tunis": Born Again in Revolution". Radioopensource.org. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. "100 Women 2016: Female Arab cartoonists challenge authority". 28 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
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