Syrian cartoonist Osama al-Mohammad continues to draw satirical cartoons of the Assad regime and its allies in his hometown of Dara’a despite all the destruction caused by the Assad regime.
For two weeks, 33-year old Mohammad has been rummaging around for what was left of his cartoons and drawing tools in the rubble of his house. Mohammad was preparing to host a cartoon gallery in his house when Assad’s warplanes turned it into rubble, destroying most of the cartoons he intended to put on display.
Mohammad says he managed to recover some of his cartoons and added them to the new set of drawings he intends to put on display soon.
One of his cartoons features Bashar al-Assad having just finished the destruction of one of Syria’s cities and heading to destroy another one. Another cartoon depicts Iran propping up the embattled Assad.
Besides drawing cartoons, a passion he has had since childhood, Mohammad works as a teacher of Arabic in an elementary school in Dara’a. He uses his drawing skills to make learning funnier and easier for children.
Mohammad also teaches traumatized students the basics of drawing and coloring as a psychological healing method to get them to forget about the atrocities of war.
Mohammad publishes his works on a Facebook page he set up along with a group of media activists to convey the suffering of the Syrian people to the world.
The regime’s security forces have detained and tortured dozens of artists, cartoonists and activists across Syria, most notably the renowned cartoonist Ali Farzat, because of their involvement in anti-regime demonstration and for supporting the people’s aspirations for freedom and dignity. (Source: Anadolu Agency + Syrian Coalition)
