Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Renowned Jordanian caricaturist and calligraphist Jalal Rifai passed away on Saturday at the age of 66 as a result of a heart attack.

In recognition of his artistic contributions, Abdul Halim Kilani, head of Greater Amman Municipality's committee, named one of the capital's streets after the late Rifai, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Rifai, who was also the president of the Jordanian Cartoonists Association, was born in 1946 in Ramallah. He graduated in design, layout and caricature from London.

Rifai started his career at the local Ad Dustour daily as a calligraphist, focusing on headlines, according to news websites. After 1972, his comic strips began to be published in Jordanian newspapers and many magazines in different Arab countries.

He also worked as a calligraphist and cartoonist for several newspapers and magazines, including Al Bayan daily in Dubai.

Rifai depicted the everyday problems of Jordanians and the woes of the Arab world, particularly the suffering of Palestinians during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

He also taught the art of calligraphy to students at the Jordan Language Academy, and many of his works were also published on social media sites.

He won several awards including the Trophy of the Arab Pioneers in the art of cartoons under the sponsorship of the Arab League.


* Jordan Times