A new collaborative graphic novel, "Meantime" draws on the talents of five illustrators from Syria, Lebanon and France to tell stories from the daily lives of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The publication has been produced by international NGO Solidarites International (SOL), which works to supply Syrian refugees in Lebanon with fresh water, sanitation, and hygiene and shelter.
Supported by UNICEF and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), SOL commissioned the illustrators to visit different settlements, apartments and shelters around Lebanon to meet Syrian refugees and record their stories.
In the present political climate, with many Lebanese wanting refugees to return to Syria, Zawk said that showing the graphic novel in a new exhibition was essential.
The book illustrates the daily challenges Syrian refugees face.
Kamal Hakim's "Aassoun Tower" also uses the example of a few Syrians living in a collective shelter to sketch the daily challenges Syrian refugees face.
Illustrating how, just 30 years ago, Lebanese citizens endured a situation as dire as that which Syrians face today, Hakim's story reminds readers that the two peoples have a shared history of civil conflict and neighborly assistance.
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