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Baddawi - Leila Abdelrazaq - 10/23/2015 - 7:30pm

Baddawi

Community Room 302

Baddawi is the story of a young boy named Ahmad struggling to find his place in the world. Raised in a refugee camp called Baddawi in northern Lebanon, Ahmad is just one of the many thousands of refugee children born to Palestinians who fled their homeland after the war in 1948 established the state of Israel.
 
 
Ahmad grows up in a crowded yet vibrant community amidst mounting unrest and violence in his host country, experiencing joys such as holidays and adventures with his friends, and facing heavy burdens, from a schoolyard bully to separation from his family during the Lebanese civil war. Ahmad's dogged pursuit of education and opportunity echoes the journey of the Palestinian people, as they make the best of their present circumstances while remaining steadfast in their determination to one day return to their homeland.
 
 
In this visually arresting graphic novel, from Just World Books, Leila Abdelrazaq explores her father’s childhood in the 1960s and '70s from a boy's eye view as he witnesses the world crumbling around him and attempts to carry on, forging his own path in the midst of terrible uncertainty.
 
Presented in partnership with the UW-Madison's Mellon Sawyer Seminar, Bibliomigrancy: World Literature in the Public Sphere.

Leila Abdelrazaq

Leila Abdelrazaq

Leila Abdelrazaq is a Chicago-based Palestinian artist and organizer. She recently graduated from DePaul University where she double majored in Theatre Arts and Arabic Studies. During her time therel, Leila served in her chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), helping to pass the DePaul Divest referendum. She is also a member of the National Students for Justice in Palestine Steering Committee. When not drawing comics, studying Arabic, or working with SJP, Leila enjoys carpentry, painting, breaking things, and making a mess.

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Baddawi