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BAHRAINI illustrator Yaser Alhamad has created colourful cartoons celebrating the country’s 51st National Day, featuring legendary actor Mohamed Yaseen.
The 48-year-old father-of-three is launching Stories of Baba Yaseen, a two-page comic based on the actor’s screenname.
Baba Yaseen was popular in the 80s and 90s, having participated in several children’s shows including Ifftiya Sim Sim (Arabic version of the Sesame Street).
Yaser wanted to draw attention to the kingdom he loves by illustrating a story that showcases the art of giving and who better to spread the message than the much-adored Baba Yaseen.
“One of the stories featuring Baba Yaseen is titled National Day,” said the Electricity and Water Authority adviser/consultant who lives in Buhair. “Being a good citizen is not just about celebrating National Day, it is about being responsible and giving back to your country... and that is what this story is all about.”
Yaser’s cartoons are based on Bahrain or Arab-inspired themes — it is vivid in all his art.
“My mantra is an old Arab and Bahraini saying that means if you have no past, then you have no future,” he said.
“Bahrain has a rich heritage; a seaport where the influence of multiple cultures and civilisations is evident. Beautiful architecture, rich history, a society that values family and respects elders and a lot more. Why then should I look for style and stories from other cultures outside the scope of my region? I say this to all other fellow illustrators and cartoonists...identity is key.”
The talented creator, who has a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bahrain, an MBA from NYIT and a Strategy Practitioner certification from Kaplan and Norton, has been capturing the hearts of people, young and old, with his vibrant cartoons and stories.
He started attending classes at the Bahrain Society of Fine Arts as a young student and put his skills to work designing posters, pamphlets and more after joining UOB’s Society of Engineering.
“I used to do all the big paintings for National Day carnivals,” said Yaser. “It really brings back great memories.”
People began to take notice of his work after the society published a periodical entitled Engineering Life featuring an array of his cartoons and comics.
Yaser had also illustrated a collection of six short stories between 1994-2000, including the Arabic version of classic folk tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. His work was translated and narrated by the chief editor of a publishing house, Ebrahim Bashmi.
“That was a great project providing young readers with traditional folk tales from across the globe,” he said. “To me, those were the years of great learning, of storytelling through illustration and visual narration. I was mentored during this time by great painters and designers including Anas AlSheikh, Ahmed Anan and Ahmed Baqer and the words of inspiration and wisdom from Ebrahim Bashmi who was willing to give his valued time to guide young creatives.”
Yaser won more artistic accolades from 2001 to 2005 when he was commissioned by an airport and petrochemical company to design their industrial books and posters.
He also created competition booklets for children including stickers, comics and board games.
“Illustrating for young people brings me great joy,” he added. “In 2006, I was commissioned to put together a little story book for the Palestine Advocacy named Tariq in Al-Aqsa Mosque, written by Ebrahim Abulrahim.
“It was a short story about a little boy who doesn’t receive any gift during Eid. The story has a happy ending though. The book ended with cut-off donation vouchers to support children of Palestine who face poverty under occupation.”
Yaser also worked on a special project in 2007 illustrating three stories for the Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) writer and puppeteer Ahmed Jassim and writer Ebrahim AlMahmeed. The My hand talked to me and the Tale of a Village were then turned into a play, which was publicised across the kingdom using his storybook cover illustrations for the signboards.
“Later on, RCO commissioned me to illustrate and jointly edit Anas Magazine for young readers featuring comics,” added Yaser.
“This project lasted for two years and I gained great experience as illustrator, designer and editor.”
Yaser’s comic career had to be paused after 2009 for almost 10 years due to work commitments at the EWA.
In 2018, he started again - collaborating with Ebrahim Sanad, an acclaimed Bahraini children’s literature writer and winner of numerous awards in the field. To date, they have completed five storybooks including Little Dreams, The Runaway Headband, I am thinking, Maliha Trail and Happiest Grouper in the World. The duo will be working on a new story this year.
In August 2021, Yaser started creating comics for the Interior Ministry’s Watani youth magazine, where he has two stories – Baba Yaseen written by the renowned Bahraini media figure Mohamed Yaseen and Balul’s Adventures written and illustrated by Yaser himself.
He also worked on Alwari, written by Dr Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Almusallam, the chairman of Sharjah Institute for Heritage.
“The book was well received on its launch at the Sharjah International Narrator’s Forum in September and it featured folkloric stories of mythical creatures from our region that were collected and narrated by Dr Abdulaziz over the years,” said Yaser.
“These are sagas of magic, horror, values and honour.
“I would love to narrate these stories with my own script in the comic book format. Hopefully, that will be my next project. If that book happens, it will be a great addition to the reading library for young adults.”
For details, follow @yaser_alhamad on Instagram.
