Khalid Albaih خالد ود البيه | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1980-04-22)April 22, 1980 (age 45) |
| Known for | Political cartoons,Graphic arts,Human Rights Activism |
| Awards | Fellow at the Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights, Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities and other awards |
| Website | Khartoon! by KhalidAlbaih |
Khalid Albaih orKhalid Wad Albaih (Arabic:خالد ود البيه; born 22 April 1980) is aSudanesepolitical cartoonist,civil rightsactivist andfreelance journalist, who grew up as member of the Sudanesediaspora inDoha,Qatar. He has published his social and politicalcaricatures and articles mainly in Arab and internationalonline media, and hisgraphic art has also beenpublicly exhibited internationally.[1]
The son of a former Sudanesediplomat, Albaih grew up outside of his home country. Apart from his freelance work aspolitical cartoonist andactivist, he was employed as Head of Installation and Design by theQatar Museum Authority.[1] Since 2017, he has been living in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he has been invited by theInternational Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) programme as a city artist.[2]
Albaih publishes his written or graphic social and political commentary in newspapers or magazines likeAl Jazeera,The Guardian orThe Atlantic, and his cartoons on hissocial media pages under the name “Khartoon!,” aword play oncartoon andKhartoum, the capital ofSudan.
In September 2016, when he was ahuman rights fellow atColby College in Maine, United States, Albaih created a cartoon ofAmerican football player and civil rights activistColin Kaepernick, kneeling with hisAfro hairstyle in the shape of a black fist, that quickly went viral. With this widely shared cartoon, Albaih wanted to evoke the historic images of otherAfrican-Americanathletes who took a firm position on civil liberties.[3] Also in 2016, Albaih and ten other visual artists from theMiddle East took aroad trip across parts of the United States, exploring and commenting onUS civil rights and relations with the citizens of other countries.[4]
In 2019, and in cooperation with theGerman Cultural Centre in Khartoum, Albaih co-edited an illustrated book, calledSudan Retold. This art book presents artistic renderings of thehistory of Sudan by 30 different young Sudanese artists, including graphic stories about the country's colonial history, cartoons about its diverse languages or changing ideals of feminine beauty in Sudan.[5][6] In 2019, he was awarded theFreedom Artists Residency by Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)[7] in New York City.[8][9]
Albaih's cartoons have been publicly exhibited in group and individualexhibitions inGulf countries, Europe, and the United States.[10] In 2020, Albaih's work and activism were presented as a virtual exhibition onGoogle Arts & Culture.[11]
As activist for universal civil rights, Albaih not only comments on political events in his home countrySudan, but also has published cartoons and given talks about other current events, like the popular uprisings known as theArab Spring or the fate ofrefugees of the Syrian Civil War, exemplified in his cartoon on the death ofAlan Kurdi.[12]
OnAl Jazeera online fromQatar[13] Albaih made a personal statement about the continuing dangers of acounter-revolution against theSudanese revolution of 2018/19, as he wrote "that replacing old dictators with younger ones will not solve the region's problems."[14]
In the British newspaperThe Guardian, he declared: "Coming from Sudan, a country that is both located in Africa and part of the Middle East, I carry the baggage of one of the most “complicated” areas in the world. That's according to the western narrative – as if the West were not one of the main complicating factors in the region.[15]
Stressing the importance of Sudanese citizens living abroad for political changes at home, he was quoted inHarper's Bazaar Arabia: "This is a very important time for the Sudanesediaspora to stand up for those fighting for freedom and hope back home. Now is the time for the international community to amplify the voices of those fighting for their freedom on the ground.”[16]
Another of Albaih's aims is supportingsocial networks for artists living in countries with restrictions of artistic expression and lacking public recognition. With this aim in mind, he participated in the independently organized arts festival in the Sudanese village of Karmakol, the birthplace of the prominent Sudanese writerTayeb Salih in December 2017.[17] Another of his projects for networking is FADAA, anon-for-profitonline platform, that aims to offer meaningful connections between artpatrons and artists.[18]
In February 2021, the Sudanese cultural magazineAndariya published an article about the cartoons and personal comments of Albaih on theCOVID-19 pandemic in Sudan.[19] At the 2022 art exhibitiondocumenta fifteen in Germany, Albaih participated withThe Walls Have Ears, his sound installation of stories about asylum seekers in Denmark.[20]
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
| Other | |
