In late 2021/2022, I created an 8-page comic centering on the Rohingya Genocide as a part of a college-driven brief.
The genocide has been targeting the Rohingya people within Myanmar. It has been caused by propaganda, fueled by worldwide Islamaphobia and historic Islamic-Buddhist conflicts. Since the first phase of the genocide (October 2016), Myanmar experienced an exodus of the Rohingya to Bangladesh, solidifying initial prejudices of their supposed ‘origin’. This comic focuses on a teen boy navigating the loss of his mother as he recounts the treacherous journey to perceived freedom in Bangladesh.
Available to read here:
I find it crazy that I had only made this a year and a half ago, I feel as though I’ve come a long way since. I still look back on the production of this piece very fondly, as I do with all of my college projects. I am so grateful to my personal tutor for letting me get away with the amount that I did back then, artistic freedoms and deadlines..
some character and landscape observation
I didn’t have too much going on drawing wise, as this was a short-time project. I would however credit much of my visual design choices to the research I had made on the Rohingya people. I made many studies based off Al-Jazeera’s 100 faces of Rohingya refugees. This was an unreal asset to use and I found it so informative and vital to read.
The effects of the Rohingya Genocide are still so great- it’s still ongoing today. I created this hoping that it would introduce people to educating themselves on the existence of these events. Bangladesh is the country with the largest population of Rohingyan refugees, and still need help to this day.
Helpful links:
Human Rights Watch: Rohingya Genocide Overview and News