More info on the MLK comic distributed in Egypt
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A couple of weeks ago I reported that a 50+ year old comic about the life and non-violence movement of Martin Luther King, Jr. had been translated into Arabic and distributed among the Egyptian protestors in Tahir Square. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette picks up on how the comic book was found and it’s connection to the Toonseum in Pittsburgh. The history of the comic book is something like a Forrest Gump story – it has a hand in many of the notable civil rights movements around the world – lunch counter sit ins in the U.S., the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and of course the recent protests in Egypt.
Ms. Ziada told me that translating the comic book into Arabic seemed the best way to engage students in the Middle East.
“The young generations must learn that being young does not mean being weak and apathetic,” she said. “[Dr. King] was only 29 years old when he launched his campaign and motivated the whole Afro-American community. We have the power to turn our dreams into real tangible facts. Martin Luther King was an inspirational role model for me, and I was sure that it be so for the young people in my region of the world.”
Moving from inspiration to publication proved more problematic. Although the Arabic translation and graphic editing were relatively easy, getting past the restrictive censorship laws in Egypt was not.
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