BEIRUT — The organizers of the “In-Transit” comics and graphic novel exhibition praise themselves on bringing a collection of less-known comics to Arabic readers.

“People aren't always exposed to these comics. They are not readily available; a lot of the Arabic comics are niche and underground,” co-organizer Lina Ghaibeh told-Al-Monitor. “[We] are trying to display the work here so that interest might be triggered to maybe start reading other comics.”

Dozens of artists from the Middle East came to Beirut on March 11 to be part of the exhibition at the Beit Beirut cultural space, held in tandem with the Mahmoud Kahil Award ceremony. The winners will receive $36,000 in several categories such as editorial cartoons, graphic novels, comic strips, graphic illustrations and children’s book illustrations.

Organized by the Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arab Comics Initiative at the American University of Beirut, the exhibition explored the role of comics as documentation on issues of displacement, exile and homeland. It was preceded by a March 9 symposium in which experts and artists discussed displacement.