Roda Al-Thani’s ‘Clipperton Island’ from #DSS2017

Roda Al-Thani is a Qatari Graphic designer based in Doha, Qatar. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar with a BFA in Graphic Design and MFA in Visual Narrative at the School of Visual Arts.

A group of women and children are stranded off the coast of Mexico. After the Mexican revolution started to progress, the small community that was dependent on the mainland for all their food and supplies began to starve. Eventually, all the male inhabitants of the island perished. Tirza Rendon a strong willed and outspoken young woman has taken it upon herself to protect the remaining women and children. Unbeknownst to the women, the reclusive and isolated lighthouse keeper has come out of hiding after a destructive hurricane. After getting rid of all the weapons on the island, Victoriano Álvarez declared himself king of Clipperton and all the women and children his slaves. With the help of the late governor’s wife Alicia Arnaud,Tirza gets the courage to face the the mad king of Clipperton island. A true story told through the diary of Altagracia Quiroz.

You probably have a thousand story ideas in your head. What made you decide on this story for your DSS project?

The reason I chose Clipperton Island is mostly because I thought it was, and this is going to sound cliché, stranger than fiction! 

What’s the story about?

It’s essentially a story of strong women coming together to protect themselves and most importantly their children and a story of survival. It’s interesting to see how far people will go to protect what they love but also how a person in power can use fear to control someone or worse a whole community. 

What do you hope people take away from your story?

Hope, persistence and perseverance!

Check out Roda’s work at www.rodaalthani.com