Egyptian female cartoonist empowers women through art

CAIRO - 14 August 2017: An Egyptian female cartoonist, Doaa Eladl, is empowering women though her cartoons. Through an art medium normally dominated by men, Eladl is not afraid to criticize the social taboos about women in society and women rights such as women who are dark skinned, overweight, divorced or infertile. Her artwork also speaks up about major women rights struggles such as rape and harassment in all its forms.

The cartoonist resorted to caricature because by nature caricature is a versatile art form that is used to criticize society, stir satire or for entertainment. Eladl’s most prominent artwork is one that condemns Female Genital Mutilation. Caricature, a variant of pop art movement, aims to decentralize art culture by blurring the lines between what is considered “high art culture,” which is the art that is admired by the social elites and aristocrats, and “low culture,” pertaining to the form of art that is available to the masses and easily comprehensible by those who lack an art history background.

Since she targets the masses, Eladl’s medium compliments her art work. Art has always been a depiction of reality, Eladl was able to empower women and criticize the perception of women in modern day society through art. Eladl decided to create a caricature book titled ‘50 Cartoons and More about Women’ that solely discusses and features women’s rights, a topic that until now, you wouldn't have found in a Caricature book from the Arab world.