Watch Out World: Journalist-Artist Malaka Gharib Inspires Action with Cartoons
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Malaka Gharib, Artist and Journalist at National Public Radio. (Photo by Ben de la Cruz).
“The biggest surprise was when I got an email from The New Yorker asking for ideas for their publication. I did not know I was on their radar.”
“The New Yorker is important to us. My grandfather in the Philippines had a subscription. My family grew up reading it.”
“Mom gave me a gift subscription. Before that, she would ship me the magazine every three weeks.”
“You can draw better than this,” Mom said, referring to The New Yorker cartoons. “So, for my mother to see her daughter published in this magazine is significant. Mom was crying. It was her own father’s influence that inspired me. I was proud.”
Malaka Gharib, was born to a Filipino mother and an Egyptian father in California. She grew up in a multigenerational Filipino family, and went to Cerritos High School. At Syracuse University, in New York, she got a dual degree in marketing and journalism. It marked the start of her life on the East Coast.
She’s now based in the Washington, D.C. area with husband Darren. Malaka is a deputy editor and digital strategist for NPR (National Public Radio)’s ‘Goats and Soda,” a global health and development blog. In 2015 Gharib was the digital content manager at Malala Fund, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai’s global education charity, and social medial/blog editor for ONE, an anti-poverty advocacy group. Malaka also founded The Runcible Spoon food zine, and co-founded the DC Art Book Fair.
I met Malaka at the Filipino American Book Festival in San Francisco last fall. She is even more charming and gorgeous in person.
In her graphic memoirs I Was Their American Dream, Malaka admitted it was hard to answer when people asked “What are you?” Malaka would answer, “I’m Egyptian-Filipino. I grew up with my Filipino family. I eat rice every day. I went to Catholic school, but my dad is Muslim and lives in Egypt. I spend summers with him. I understand Tagalog and Arabic.”
I Was Their American Dream, A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib (Cover art by Malaka Gharib)
At home, she cooks Filipino dishes. “Favorites are Guinataang Kalabasa, Mom’s soupy Adobo, Mechado with Chorizos, Pancit Canton, Arroz Caldo, Torta, Afritada and Caldereta.”
“Every person goes through a journey of identity. I wanted to document my personal wokeness. I felt for a long time I was suppressing my feelings of whiteness,” Malaka said about her graphic memoir.
Wokeness can be defined as being awakened to the injustices of the system. People who are against “wokeness” are “against idealists” because they are not the ones being suppressed to begin with.
Through cartoon illustrations, Malaka expresses an awareness of social injustices, in whimsical, fun artworks based on personal experiences.
Cartoons are drawn by artists as a satirical revolt against what is happening in the world. Malaka’s drawings, reflect her feelings about society. She captures key social issues through thought-provoking humor.
Her characters are everyday people. Her captions of ordinary situations subtly suggest politics and timely themes. They are presentations of our lives, and we see ourselves in these.
Recently, Malaka drew a comic zine and made a podcast for NPR, with a printable illustrated pocket guide about mask-wearing social etiquette, inspired by Elaine Swann, founder of the Swann School of Protocol.
Malaka's upbringing as told in her insightful graphic memoir (Cover art by Malaka Gharib/ Cover design by Danielle Deschenes)
Malaka deals with the pandemic in her own way. “Be your own best friend. Follow the advice you would give.”
On self-care, she organized online art sessions that attracted hundreds. The first was a recipe-drawing event. Tapping on Filipino recipes, Malaka coached participants to draw ingredients on postcards which were mailed out to friends. In the second, Malaka taught how to make a DIY self-care zine through individual artistic expressions. Her goal: To overcome sadness through art.
She articulates joys and anxieties through drawings. In Malaka’s funny, imperfect-looking, charming characters, one sees humorous depictions, often self-deprecating. Her stories, clichés, and dialogue are realistic. She elicits smiles and laughter. It is a feel-good, visually stimulating experience for readers.
Malaka Gharib makes the world better, with light-hearted cartoons that speak honestly to us to set things right. She keeps everyone happy and entertained with dry wit. Her illustrations reflect what we feel – anxieties, frustrations, reality checks. Yet her humorous, wise advice in every cartoon frame gives us hope and reminds us to take it easy, and life will be okay.
Here are links to Malaka's works:
How to Care for Older People by Malaka Gharib (via NPR)
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/09/04/908288079/how-to-care-for-older-people-in-the-pandemic-and-a-printable-guide
Guide to the Puffy Sleeves Trend by Malaka Gharib (New Yorker)
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/a-guide-to-the-puffy-sleeves-trend?mbid=social_twitter&utm_brand=tny&utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Alternative Uses for Face Masks by Malaka Gharib (New Yorker)
Alternative Uses for Face Masks
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Elizabeth Ann Quirino, based in New Jersey is a journalist and author of the “Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Philippine Food In a Multicooker Pot” Cookbook. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and blogs about Filipino home cooking on her site AsianInAmericaMag.com.
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