Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat was born in the city of Hama in 1951. He is considered one of the top 100 cartoonists in the world, and his cartoons were published in many Syrian, Arab, and foreign newspapers.

Because Farzat's cartoons are based on symbolism and innuendo that evade authoritative figures while expressing the daily concerns of Syrians, they stole the hearts and minds of the people. Since the start of the Syrian uprising, his cartoons have expressed the voice of the revolting public, turning art into a tool to fight the regime’s repression. Demonstrators raised his caricatures as a means of protest.

In 2001, Farzat was granted a license to issue the Al-Domari newspaper, and he became its chief editor. That was the first license to be given to an independent newspaper in Syria since 1963. The newspaper focused on irony and published documents highlighting corruption and abuses. Though the newspaper was not sold at newsstands, it was widely circulated. It became very popular, and readers were keen to reserve their copies before its publication. This exemplifies the extent to which Syrians, who had endured decades of tyranny, were looking for the simplest forms of freedom of expression. The security apparatus battled the newspaper, and it was finally shut down in 2003, when its license was withdrawn. Eighty-five thousand copies of the paper were printed in the two years of its existence.

In October 2010, Farzat turned the Al-Domari headquarters, which had been closed for years, into a gallery for satirical art. He wanted to continue treading the path he had taken with the newspaper, after seeing its popularity among the public. On inauguration day, Farzat surprised the large number of attendees with cartoons that he had painted on large pieces of cloth, t-shirts, key holders, and new colored shapes. The audience was impressed by the new form his art had taken.

On March 7, 2013, Farzat was interviewed on Monte-Carlo International on France 24 TV, where he was a guest on the “Without a Mask” program. He was in Paris at the time, participating in the International Day of Solidarity with Syria at the Arab World Institute. In the interview, Farzat expressed his gratitude for the Syrian revolution, describing it as a creative revolution that created new culture, morals, art and revolutionary poets. He said the revolution broke the barrier of fear in Syria, making it a thing of the past. Farzat also spoke of the personal role he played in breaking the wall of fear among the public three months before the start of the Syrian uprising. He directly criticized the Syrian regime by including figures such as prime ministers, mafia members and intelligence staff in his cartoons. He even included President Bashar al-Assad in one of pieces, which he created when he was still in his office in Damascus. As a result, masked men attacked Farzat on Aug. 25, 2011 while he was returning home from his office. He suffered severe injuries to his face and fingers.

Ali Farzat’s website.