Hana Hajjar, the first Saudi female editorial cartoonist and a founding member of the association, said the group would also help with legal counsel.
“The Association of Saudi Cartoonists and Caricaturists will protect its members against unjustified layoffs and oppression by appointing lawyers to defend them before the courts,” said Hajjar, whose work appears regularly in Arab News. She began her career five years ago.
She said 20 Saudi editorial cartoonists established the association. Currently she is the only female member, but Hajjar pointed out the association “is open to any qualified men and women.”
The association’s chairman, Abdullah Sail, an editorial cartoonist at Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper, said the idea to establish the association was mooted three years ago and it saw the light thanks to the support of Abdul Aziz Al-Subail, a former official at the Ministry of Culture and Information.
He said the association would open its doors before all cartoonists of any nationality. According to Sail, there are 38 editorial cartoonists working in Saudi Arabia.
Sail said the Saudi cartoonists were able to portray the pulse of the society to a great extent without hurting anyone. “In the few times the cartoons were not published it was because they crossed the lines or they were away from the truth,” he said.
“Some Saudi cartoonists have become more famous than renowned writers and columnists,” he said, invoking the name of Muhammad Al-Khanaifir who spent about 30 years in the profession before retiring.
Hajjar said the work of Saudi cartoonists has developed tremendously in Saudi Arabia over the past decade and are gaining increasing readers.
“The cartoon is an important element in all newspapers,” she said
Hajjar said the association would coordinate with the local newspapers to appoint more cartoonists to meet the demand of the increasing number of readers.
“The establishment of more electronic newspapers has increased the need for more cartoonists,” she said.
She said most of the Saudi cartoonists have started their lives as simple artists before they were lured by the glamour of the caricature. Hajjar, who has a BFA from the American University in London, started painting at an early age.
“When at the secondary stage, the school asked me to participate in a local competition organized on the occasion of a national campaign to rationalize the use of water. I won the first prize and since then have been attracted by the funny drawings which highlight a certain cause,” she said.
Hajjar said during the past five years, she represented the Kingdom in cartoon exhibitions held in France, Morocco, Azerbaijan and other countries.