A conflicted Hamlet once asked “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die, to sleep, no more… this a consummation devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep, to sleep, perchance to dream.” Some of you may be asking, what the hell was Hamlet (and by extension Neverbot) talking about?
Well, what Hamlet was trying to say, in my estimation, is that struggles, while inconvenient, bring out the best in us. They give us cause to dream and to work toward something better. He was saying that when we find ourselves lost in the dark, that’s when we shine the brightest.
That notion is encapsulated in the story of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey. The government there had made plans to build a mall in Gezi Park, the last bit of undeveloped land in Istanbul. Protestors gathered in the park to prevent the machines from starting construction. The protest of the mall was only a symptom, the disease was an oppressive government that had finally gone too far, the mall was the proverbial straw that broke the Turkey’s back, so to speak.
Enter Can Yalcinkaya, a Turkish born man living in Sydney, Australia at the time of the protests. He was impacted by the struggles he saw going on in his homeland and with the media coverage being minimal at best, took to social media to try to spread the word. Soon, Yalcinkaya realized that clicking “share” or “like” wasn’t making enough progress, so he began looking for other ways, creative and artistic ways to help.
That is when #ResistComics was born. Inspired by Occupy Comics here in the states, Yalcinkaya gathered an international group of writers and artists to collaborate on a comic book anthology aimed at spreading awareness of the resistance in Turkey. Before long, the group was compiled, scripts written, and artwork begun. What resulted is 96 pages of comic book activism, but they need our help to finish.
Since the movement has been grassroots from the start, it seems only appropriate that this project maintain the same spirit, which is why Yalcinkaya took to Kickstarter in an attempt to gather the funds necessary to make this dream a reality… to take up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, attempt to end them.
I can’t speak to how we’ll behave when and if we finally do end our collective struggles, but I can tell you that it is a dream worth dreaming, if we can read a comic book, and create positive change around the world, that’s an opportunity worth taking up.
At the time of this writing #ResistComics has 24 hours remaining in their campaign, if you’re reading this before that time has elapsed, consider donating if you’re able. If you’re not able, or that time has already passed, spread the word, there is more work to be done and unlike many online activism campaigns, this time you really can help just by clicking “share” or “like.”
Cheers.