The Portrait Test
What do you want people to say when they point to your oil painting?
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| Khalid Albaih, MBS and the "Media", March 8, 2018. Mohammed bin Salman boosting his image as a reformer while jailing dissent. |
The exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Dr. Khashoggi has been a tireless and important voice on what is going on behind the Saudi cover of moderation, while authoritarianism is being strengthened.
Rumors speak of his being killed within the consulate. We only have rumors, but we know of their being only too possible.
The pattern is well established. The women's rights bloggers, Nouf Abdulaziz and Eman al-Nafjan, are both under arrest. In Yemen millions, many of which are infants, are facing starvation due to the Saudi-led coalition.
Then let the cartoonists carry the true painting from the attic.
Cartoonists believe in disclosure while everyone is still around and so they carry Dorian Gray's portrait from the attic of Oscar Wilde's novel, in this case the true likeness of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as drawn by Khalid Albaih. Eating children is one of the oldest tropes of evil. In this case, the situation is an actual one.
The Crown Prince is the acting body in seeing to the starving taking place. He is feasting on the profits from letting infants in the millions die from starvation.
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| Khalid Albaih, Yemeni Meal, September 25, 2018. |
Dorian Gray killed the artist of his oil painting to keep his soul a secret. In September the Saudi authorities declared a ban on online satire for its "disruption" of "public order".
Well, this is not satire. This is the Saudi leader grown into his own cartoon for what he is: the opposer of civil rights. His answer to non-violent speaking of rights is one of violence.
You shall indeed be your own portrait of what you do.
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| Khalid Albaih, OBEY, November 7, 2017. |
The cartoons shown are courtesy of Khalid Albaih and must not be reproduced without his permission.
