Cardboard Camp: Stories of Sudanese Refugees in Lebanon

A research-based graphic novel

Over the past year, REF-ARAB PI Maja Janmyr has worked together with a team of writers, illustrators and designers to create a graphic novel inspired by the Sudanese protection seekers’ perspectives.

In addition to Janmyr, the team consists of Yazan al-Saadi, Omar Khouri, Noémie Honein, Anthony Hanna, Sirène Moukheiber, Chloé Benoist, Wini Omer, Farah Fayyad, Layal Khatib and K., a Sudanese refugee.

While the characters and events are fictional, the depictions of life as a refugee protester draw on extensive ethnographic research that Janmyr has conducted and written about as part of the REF-ARAB project.

The Beirut launch

For our release event in Beirut, the REF-ARAB project teamed up with the Migrant Community Center for a festive Sunday gathering. After introductions by Maja Janmyr and Stephanie Chettiar (MCC), a panel consisting of writer Yazan al-Saadi, illustrator Omar Khouri, co-founder of Sawiyan Dina Baslan, and writer Hiba Farajallah dicussed the graphic novel.

We also heard testimonies from Sudanese refugees in Jordan, whose protests outside of UNHCR's offices in Amman were taking place simultaneously.

We were particularly happy that the event brought together many representatives of the Sudanese community in Beirut, who welcomed the comic's effort to depict and share their stories and struggles in Lebanon.

The role of graphic storytelling in activism and research

Bringing Cardboard Camp to Oslo, we organized two events. The first one, which took place on June 14, focused on the power of graphic storytelling as a tool in activism and for telling stories about activism and exile.

Cardboard Camp's illustrator and art director Omar Khouri and writer Yazan al-Saadi joined us in Oslo for the event, and were accompanied in the panel by political cartoonist Khalid Albaih, and moderator Dr. Teresa Pepe.

Maja Janmyr presented on the context of the comic, and discussed how refugees are often expected to be passive recipients of aid rather than active agents of change.

The day after, we joined forces with PRIO for an event on visual storytelling and research. Here, we asked the question of how visual storytelling can be used as a fieldwork method and as a tool for research dissemination.

In the panel, Maja Janmyr and Omar Khouri were joined by PRIO Research Professor Cindy Horst and visual artist Diala Brisly. Professor Jacob Høigilt moderated the discussions.