This is why I was happy to hear this interview on National Public Radio with the two founding members of Combatants for Peace. They are Zohar Shapira, former commander of an elite IDF unit, and Bassam Aramin, former Fatah member. Both men started out their lives imagining the other side as their enemies and nothing more, until they had the realizations that their beliefs were not helping anyone. Hearing their stories is truly inspirational and touching. I highly recommend giving the interview a listen.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88036198

Comics is a form of storytelling that has been gaining a lot of ground recently. Books like “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s 2 part graphic novel about growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution, have become best sellers here in the U.S., and for good reason. By combining pictures and words, stories can become very immediate to the reader, and one can imagine themselves as the character easily. I know that after I read Satrapi’s book, I felt very differently about Iran. What had before been a country whose name is splashed across American news headlines as “the Axis of Evil” became more personal to me, and I felt as though Satrapi was a friend of mine who I had known for years. Because of this book, it has been a lot easier for me to separate the choices Iran’s government makes from the people who live there, who are really a lot like me.

This idea stuck with me. So often, no matter what country we are from, we read the news and see conflict, corruption, or oppression as something happening to an “other.” The group of people out there somewhere are too abstract to relate to, and often we ignore them because we can’t imagine what it must be like. They are too different. But of course, people everywhere are pretty much the same. Though we are brought up in different cultures, with different religions and customs, we are more similar than we even know. But how could I show this?

When I first started drawing comics, I would practice by making short little stories about something that happened to me during the day, or a daydream or conversation I had. (they’re a little embarrassing but you can see some of them here). I found that people really enjoyed reading these “journal comics” but its not because my daily life is very interesting, its because in those little stories people could often see themselves. People would comment “I feel the same way about that!” or “wow, I do that all the time too!” These comics were fun to make, but frankly I got bored with drawing about myself all the time.

So I thought about it, and decided that if I could draw the stories of other people from all over the world, I could learn more about how our lives are similar, as well as the interesting ways we are different, and then share these stories with other people from all over as well. This is where you MEY readers come in…I’d love it if you helped me share your lives with others.

Now, dont worry, I’m not asking you for your life story or your secrets. You dont have to reveal anything to personal or talk about anything painful or embarrassing. You could if you wanted to of course, and you can always choose a different name or remain anonymous. Just share anything you want! What may be boring to you may be very interesting to someone living in Egypt, Israel, the US or Iceland. Did your aunt like to sing out of key while she cooked your favorite meal? Did you witness an interesting conversation on the street the other day? Maybe you have a dream you want to talk about or even a fear. Many things can make a good story, and I assure you people would love to hear about it.

So if youre into the idea, go over to the comics section (www.mideastyouth.com/comics) and click “submit,” then fill out the form. I only ask that you give me lots of visual detail because I’m a New Yorker and have not been able to travel to the Middle East except for a two week trip to Israel (although I hope to change that soon!) Tell me if you wear a headscarf, if your brother is tall and skinny, or if the city street in your story is crowded. These little details help me make a richer and more interesting story.

I’ll post the comics here as I complete them and you can leave any comments here. And don’t be afraid to let me know if I was completely ignorant and drew something wrong.

Below I am posting the first two comics I’ve made from this project. The first was written by Esra’a and the second was written by Tala. I hope you enjoy them.

-Sarah G.
www.smallnoises.com

Esra’a's Story:

Tala’s Story