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| fade away & illustrate issue 003 'fawazine' cover (design by khalid mezaina) . 2022 |
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| fade away & illustrate issue 003 'fawazine' . 2022 |
after a six year hiatus, my illustration themed zine 'fade away & illustrate' is back! i wish it didn't take this long since the last issue (see here). life got in the way, and this little zine slowly faded away... the third issue's theme is inspired by 'fawazeer ramadan'. for those who aren't familiar, fawazeer ramadan were egyptian musical television shows that aired during ramadan in the late 1970s – 2010s. families in the arab world would gather around the tv after breaking their fast to watch every episode – solving riddles, mesmerized by the costumes, choreography and set designs. these shows were absolutely joyful, and one would probably define them today as camp! with time, fawazeer ramadan slowly became obsolete. it seemed like people weren't interested in them anymore. but their impact never went away.
i hope issue 003 acts as a legacy of an important moment in arab pop culture. aptly titled 'fawazine', this issue includes some of my favourite artists and illustrators. a huge thank you goes to all the contributors – this issue is really special thanks to each of you.
a final thank you goes to hind mezaina, for inviting azim al ghussein, lina younes and myself earlier this year to speak about fawazeer ramadan and the impact they had on each of us (more on that here). i hope fawazine is a way of bringing more voices into the conversation, and showing how we all share connected stories with fawazeer ramadan. fawazine is finally out and available in the world. please get in touch if you'd like a copy. and stay tuned for announcements on where to purchase fawazine in the uae and/or online.
to end this post, i'd like to dedicate fawazine to all the fawazeer ramadan icons and divas – including samir ghanem, nelly (my personal favourite), and the one and only sherihan...
