Rerooting

Digitally illustrated comic, 6 pages, 2024

Published in the comic anthology series, Corniche 6 by the Sharjah Art Foundation

In this silent comic, I explore my experience of navigating survivor’s guilt, the issue of romanticising martyrdom in the face of helplessness. The rhetoric of “it is better to die in your homeland than away from it,” rang in my mind as I navigate how this guilt only perpetuated harm to those in diaspora. We forget to live as we watch from afar, inheriting red-hot rage, pride, memory, and the shame of being away. I try to enact change, reflection, resilience, and healing in whatever way I can, in my writing, my art, and in solidarity with my community. This is my first attempt at a comic.