For Saturday night, Israel navy stop one humanitarian ship wey dem call "Handala" for 70 nautical miles from Gaza shore. For di ship, 21 activists dey, two European parliament members, and small load wey carry pikin food, pampers, food, and medicine. Live broadcast show as armed people climb di ship deck, wey activists wey wear life jacket raise dia hand up. Di connection cut off.
Di ship name na somtin wey every Palestinian sabi. "Handala" no be just ship name, e be symbol wey don survive decades of occupation, exile, and war. Di barefoot boy with scattered hair wey cartoonist Naji al-Ali draw almost 50 years ago don turn one of di most popular image of Palestinian resistance.
Dem fit stop ship, arrest activists, or even kill di artist, but dem no fit destroy wetin e create. Handala still dey live for Gaza wall graffiti, for protest posters for Columbia University students, and for di hearts of millions of people for di world.
Naji al-Ali, di artist of exile, born for 1938 for one Palestinian village, al-Shajara, for Galilee. For 1948, when e be 10 years old — di same age as Handala — im family run comot from dia land during di mass Palestinian exodus wey dem dey call "Nakba" ("catastrophe").
Di family settle for Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp for Lebanon. Na there di young artist first see di reality of exile: overcrowded tents, water shortage, and hopeless life. All these images stick for im memory and later show for thousands of im drawings.
For im youth, al-Ali join Arab national movement, dem arrest am many times. E dey teach children how to draw for refugee camps, and na there e start to create political cartoons. One big Palestinian writer and revolutionary, Ghassan Kanafani, notice im talent and help am publish im first works.
Al-Ali spend most of im career for Kuwait, where e work for newspapers like "As-Siyassa" and "Al-Qabas." E draw over 40,000 cartoons for im life, wey criticize Israeli government, Arab leaders, and even di Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) when e feel say dem dey wrong.
For di last years of im life, al-Ali dey live for London, still dey work for "Al-Qabas." On July 22, 1987, unknown people shoot am for head near di newspaper office for Evelyn Street. Di bullet put am for coma, and e die on August 29 without waking up.
Di investigation of di murder turn political wahala. British police arrest two people wey dem believe na PLO members, but later dem find out say di two na Mossad agents. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expel three Israeli diplomats and close Mossad base for London, but di case no go anywhere. Till today, di murder of Naji al-Ali still dey unsolved.
But Handala no die with im creator. Instead, e popularity dey grow. Di barefoot boy silhouette dey appear for di Israeli separation wall wey divide West Bank from Israel. Children for refugee camps dey draw am, turning pain into hope — sometimes dem go even draw smiling face for Handala back.
For May 2024, Columbia University students take over Hamilton Hall to protest di war for Gaza, dem rename am "Hind Hall" and hang banner wey carry Handala image. Di symbol wey dem create 56 years ago still dey relevant.
Italian artists create poster wey show plenty characters wey dey back di audience — to honor Handala. Japanese activists dey use im image for dia work. Palestinian artist Malak Mattar, wey grow for Gaza, include Handala for her painting "No Words" — one big artwork wey dey document wetin dey happen for Gaza.
Al-Ali talk say Handala na "compass wey always dey point to Palestine." But no be just geography. Anywhere wey dem dey fight for justice — for Vietnam, South Africa, or Gaza today — Handala go dey there.
Even for Israel, peace activists dey sometimes use Handala image, showing am hugging Israeli boy Sroulik — one character wey cartoonist Kariel Gardosh create. But e rare for di country, where Handala still dey as unwanted symbol.
No be coincidence say di international "Freedom Flotilla" — solidarity movement wey dey try break Gaza blockade — name one of dia ships "Handala." Di ship wey Israeli forces stop on Saturday no just carry humanitarian aid, but e carry symbolic meaning.
For di ship, activists from different countries dey: Australia, UK, Italy, USA, Norway. Among dem na two European Parliament members and American union leader Christian Small. US State Department call di mission "selfie flotilla" and refuse to support dia own citizens.
Australian volunteer Tanya Safi tell CNN for voice message say Israeli drones dey surround di ship. "Everybody here don prepare for any scenario wey Israel fit bring," she talk. "If dem stop us, e go be violation of international maritime law."
But di activists know di risk. Dem sabi say di small load — baby food, pampers, medicine — no fit save all di hungry children for Gaza. But di symbolic value of wetin dem do no get price.
Dis na di second "Freedom Flotilla" ship wey dem stop dis month. For June, di same thing happen to one ship "Madelin," wey carry popular activists. Every new attempt to break di blockade na new seed of resistance.
Handala dey teach us patience. Di boy don dey wait to go back home for 56 years — and e still dey wait. Im creator dream to see free Palestine — and dem kill am for dat dream. But di symbol don outlive di artist and di killers.
Today, as di world dey watch Gaza through TV and social media, Handala still dey relevant. E dey remind us say behind every statistic, na human face dey; behind every news report, na person life dey scatter.
Israeli forces fit stop humanitarian ships, arrest activists, and control every gram of food wey enter Gaza. But dem no fit stop wetin Handala represent — di memory of di people, dia fight for dignity and freedom.
Di boy with scattered hair still dey stand back to di world of injustice. And as long as injustice dey for dis earth, e go dey wait. Patiently and stubbornly, like di bitter plant wey dem name am after — wey dey grow even for di hardest ground.
For Monday, dem force di "Handala" crew go Ashdod port. Diplomats and lawyers dey wait for dem. But di real meeting go happen later — when di symbol find im way back home again.
