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Dear Committee:
I am very glad at reading all the interesting opinions of the last days .
I just come from Piracicaba Cartoon Competition in Brasil, were I was jury
member and they got more than 1100 cartoons from 45 different countries.
They have made a preselection , were the jury had to vote for the last 273
selected cartoons. This was a good experience for this debate because we
talked with the cartoonists who did the pre-selection, and they said they
were fed up with hundreds of identical cartoons ( not the technique, but the
same subject) , and they tried to leave only the best of each similar "
subject" for us to choose on the final round . But even though we had to
make a selection of a limited portion of the total ammount of cartoons sent,
we, the members of the jury ( among them was Marlene Pohle, FECO general
president and commader in chief) noticed some cartoons that were not
selected because they are repeating subject we already saw hundreds of times
before . To see the same idea over and over again is boring and nobody wants
to award that idea. So, you shouldn´t be preocuppied that jury members will
award a copìed or repeated cartoon , except they don´t have experience as
jury members . I was a jury member 8 times befores and I have seen all kind
of cartoons already , and most jury members recognise a repeated one .
I am not saying that everybody copies everybody. On the contrary, I think
that sometimes, several cartoonists have the same idea, simultaneously or
over the years. It even happened to me that I made a cartoon about a
laberynth or maze full of tiny humans and giant mouses looking them and
saying " It seems that they will not find the exit!" . And two years later ,
a cartoonist accused me of copying his cartoons, that had an identical idea
with different composition of the drawing .He was offended while I was
delighted of seeing that two people in two differnet continents can have
such a sincronization of thoughts to have the same idea . I felt he was my
soul mate, and he didnt felt that way! ;) In fact, when I thought of the
laberynth for humans , I though it was an original idea, though it was not
hard to do because it is a tipical "transposition" ( change of places) kind
of joke...
I also remember a great cartoon made by Ucranian Oleg Dergatchov who was
published in Tanz - O - Caricatuire Iranian magazine together with identical
idea made by an Iranian cartoonist: It was a lighted match inclined towards
a group of non - lighted matches that seem to hear the one that is on fire .
just a second befores putting on fire the heads of the rest of the matches.
Oleg is full of ideas I am sure he doesnt need to copy nobody, and that was
another happy coincidence .
But if you want to win awards in intrenational cartoon contests , you should
avoid certain subjects beacuse jury members are already tired of seeing
them.
So, I suggest that instead of comparing repeated cartoons that may offend
well intentioned cartoonists that think on the same wavelength , we should
put a list of cartoons not to be drawn for the next 20 years ( then, when
everybody forgot them, you may draw them again!)
This is my list, you can add your own " taboo cartoons" to it! :
- Evolution of man ( you know , from monkey to homo erectus to what you like
...man with remote control, to woman in high heels, to man with oxigen mask,
or to monkey again)
- Penguins in peril because of global warming
- Fishes with oxygen mask in poluted water
- Soldiers marching and changing the direction because there is a banana
peel on the road.
- Peace doves ( peace pidgeon with olive branch on the beak)
- Noahs Arks
- Moses dividing waters
- Human uses of animal parts ( elephant trunks or jiraffe necks )
- Humans in a laberynth with mice looking at them .
-A lighted match inclined towards a group of non - lighted matches that seem
to hear the one that is on fire . just a second befores putting on fire the
heads of the rest of the matches. ( ha, ha !)
Note 1 : Jury members priorize the joke that is really funny and makes us
laugh, not so much the technique or poetic idea. Humor must be funny in the
first place.
Note 2: Castaways in dessert islands , a much repeated cliche in past times,
are now luckily not seen anymore...
Maybe is time to draw "dessert island" cartoons again ? ;)
Best regards
Ana von Rebeur |
July 17, 2007
Washington, DC USA
2007 Annual CRNI Awards Dinner a Smashing
Success.
Friday, July 6, over 190 cartoonists, journalists, friends
of CRNI and other well wishers gathered in the Ballroom at the National
Press for an evening of fun and reflection.
Lexington Herald-Leader editorial cartoonist and CRNI Board President Joel
Pett greeted the guests and acted as master of ceremonies for the evening.
Iranian cartoonist Nik Kowsar, who now lives in Toronto, introduced Canadian
Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Wilson. Ambassador Wilson addressed the
gathered diners and said he was well acquainted with editorial art as the
object of many cartoonists' pens when he was finance minister. He also
provided a statement on Canada's unshakable commitment to free speech and
its willingness to be a refuge for imperiled journalists from other regions.
Then CRNI Treasurer Carl Nelson introduced Flemming Rose, the
Jyllands-Posten cultural editor who commissioned work from 12 Danish
cartoons in 2005. He told the audience that the subsequent crisis in free
speech triggered by this "Mohammed gallery" provoked unanticipated and
unprecedented violence. For that, he said, both and paper and he were
certainly sorry. Rose also spoke about his conviction that the right to
freedom of expression has been deeply reaffirmed as vital to the health of a
democracy.
The centerpiece of the evening was the Award for Courage in Editorial
Cartooning. CRNI gives this prize each year to the cartoonist who has
demonstrated exceptional courage and resilience in the face of personal or
legal threat due to the impact of his work. This year, CRNI Executive
Director Robert Russell presented the award to South African Jonathan
Shapiro.
Commenting that cartoonists in danger are routinely backed up by worried
spouses and often traumatized children, Russell presented the award equally
to Jonathan and his wife Katrina Turok. Both have suffered threats and legal
action because of his hard hitting cartoons. Over the last year, Jonathan
took former ANC Vice-President Jacob Zuma to the woodshed for serious lapses
in accounting and ethical behavior. Zuma countered with a $2 million lawsuit
for defamation that is still pending.
In accepting the award, Jonathan said that freedom of speech is the single
most important cornerstone of all freedoms.
Will Durst, one of America's foremost political satirists, provided witty
insight on the occasion and current events. Introduced by The Economist
magazine's Kal Kallaugher, Will kept the audience laughing and nodding. He
polished gem after gem about Republicans and Democrats alike.
For the last four years CRNI has held its annual awards dinner concurrently
with the convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
AAEC celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year. CRNI congratulates the group
on its steadfast service to editorial cartoonists. AAEC President Rob Rogers
of the Pittsburgh Post Dispatch and AAEC administrator Elissa Doyle used
exceptional skills to celebrate this milestone. The whole AAEC team did a
fantastic job.
The 2008 AAEC Convention will be in San Antonio, Texas. We hope to see all
the CRNI friends and AAEC members at our awards dinner there in June.
CRNI also recognizes and thanks:
CRNI officers Carl Nelson and Joel Pett for months of patience and work in
organizing the dinner,
Ronnie Gold, CRNI's event planner for her selfless work making the dinner a
success,
Kathleen Reilly Mannix, our editor and advisor,
Our hard working CRNI Interns from George Mason University,
The Herb Block Foundation for their support and commitment to CRNI,
Malie Russell for the support and organization she provides daily,
Patti Powers and the National Press Club staff,
The New Yorker Magazine cartoon editor Bob Mankoff for his personal support,
Intern-in-training Elya Direcksze,
Al Jazeera US TV for its coverage and interview of Jonathan Shapiro,
C-SPAN for recording the event.
Deepest thanks too to Ambassador Michael Wilson, Jonathan Shapiro and Karina
Turok, Flemming and Natasha Rose, Nik Kowsar, Will Durst and Drew
Rougier-Chapman, Kal Kallaugher, Ann Telnaes, and all members of the CRNI
Board of Directors who helped so much with this event.
Last, but not least, we were happy that CRN Affiliate Leader Patrick Gathera
from Nairobi, Kenya could make the trip. We hope more Affiliate Leaders and
Board Members will be able to attend next year's event.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Four men jailed over cartoon demo
Umran Javed was one of the men jailed over the protests
Four men have been jailed for their part in protests outside the Danish
embassy in London, against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
Mizanur Rahman, 24, Umran Javed, 27, and Abdul Muhid, 24, were each jailed
for six years for soliciting to murder after telling a crowd to bomb the UK.
A fourth man, Abdul Saleem, 32, was jailed for four years for stirring up
racial hatred at the protest in 2006.
The men, from London and Birmingham, were convicted at the Old Bailey.
Judge Brian Barker said their words had been designed to encourage murder
and terrorism.
About 300 protestors marched outside the Danish embassy in February last
year after cartoons satirising Muhammad were published in newspapers in
Denmark and other European countries.
Outside the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, a group of around 40
demonstrators chanted and waved placards.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Cartoonist threatened
By CRN correspondent
Jan. 31, 2007
Zimbabwe’s dwindling independent media was shaken by the delivery of an
envelope containing a bullet, a cartoon and handwritten threat to the acting
editor of The Standard, the only remaining independent Sunday paper serving the
South African nation of 12 million.
The envelope also contained a March 2006 editorial entitled “The Shame of State
Paranoia” from the Zimbabwe Independent, the sister paper of The Standard, which
is published Fridays. The editorial criticized the intelligence agency and
police for arresting several people based on an alleged plot to assassinate
Pres. Robert Mugabe.
“The large brown envelope was dropped at our offices on Wednesday around 3:00
p.m., and was addressed to the editor of The Standard, said special projects
editor Iden Wetherell at a press conference Thursday, Feb. 1. Wetherell said the
envelope contained the handwritten threat, “What is this? Watch your step.”
Also mentioned at the press conference was a message sent Wednesday, Jan. 31,
from army public relations manager, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Tsatsi to both
papers that he would be leading a team Feb. 13 to meet the editors in order “to
enhance relations.”
Wetherell said he was sure it was a coincidence.
Bill Saidi, currently acting editor in the absence of Davison Maruziva, said he
had no idea who had sent the envelope. He added, “When you send someone a
bullet, what are you saying? You’re saying, ‘Next time it will be aimed at
you.’” Saidi and Maruziva are the former editors of The Daily News, which was
shut down by the government in 2003. Offices of The Daily News were bombed twice
by unknown assailants during the height of political disturbances.
The Standard cartoon, published Jan. 28, is at the center of a storm. It shows
three baboons laughing their heads off while two men stand in the foreground.
One man explains to the other, “They’ve just picked up a Zimbabwean National
Army pay slip.” The cartoon followed by a week a story The Standard headlined
“Mass Desertions from Armed Forces.” It reported that a high number of soldiers
were deserting the army because of poor working conditions and low pay. The
story cited a Defense and Security Parliamentary Portfolio committee report that
recommended more funds to boost the morale of the armed forces. Soldiers earn a
monthly salary that roughly equals $35 U.S. Prices of basic commodities, rent
and other necessities require more than twice this amount for a family of six to
survive.
Zimbabweans are undergoing extreme hardship under the present regime, which has
seen inflation peaking at 1,281 percent, an unemployment rate of 80 percent, and
an exiled population of about 30 percent. Agricultural and industrial sectors
face devastation, precipitated by the removal of white commercial farmers, under
land redistribution launched by the pro- Mugabe War Veterans Association in
2000.
The army is alleged to have been involved in the deaths of critics of Pres.
Robert Mugabe throughout his 27-year rule.
Signing himself as Karl, the editorial artist of the cartoon in question doesn’t
sign his name because, he says, he “doesn’t want to get into trouble.” A
freelance cartoonist, he has drawn editorial cartoons for both the Zimbabwe
Independent and The Standard since the departure three months ago of the two
newspapers’ longstanding cartoonist, Tony Namate. Namate left to work fulltime
on his website. Both cartoonists worked together at the ill-fated Daily News.
Contacted for comment on Saturday, Feb. 3, Karl said of the cartoon furor, “It
is just a storm in a teacup really. However, I have left it to the acting editor
of The Standard, Bill Saidi, to deal with the matter.”
Asked if he is worried that the bullet threat was directed at him, the
cartoonist replied, “If the threat had been directed at me, the envelope would
have been addressed to me. I think the editor is the one who is under pressure,
so I don’t think it will affect me.”
The same cartoonist was working for The Daily News when its printing press was
bombed to smithereens in 2001, a few weeks after the bombing of its offices.
Isn’t he afraid something similar might happen? “No, I don’t think so,” he
replied, “because last time they just went ahead [bombing] without sending
warnings.”
But what if the government took Karl in for questioning? “I would give them my
side of the story,” he said.
Other Intimidation of Zimbabwean Media
In 1999, journalists Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto from The Standard, were
abducted and tortured for one week for writing a story claiming that 23 soldiers
had been arrested for attempting to stage a coup.
Chavunduka, 37, died Nov. 11, 2002, amid claims that it was a result of his
injuries. He was the founding editor of The Standard and a Class of 2000 Nieman
Fellow at Harvard University.
Ray Choto is the founding editor of a Zimbabwean radio station, Studio 7 News,
based at Voice of America offices in the U.S.
Both Studio 7 News and private Zimbabwean transmissions have been jammed over
the past six months. The government denies any connection to interference that
employs Chinese technology and starts at exactly the same time that the
independent broadcasts start, 5 p.m. GMT. When the broadcasts stop at 6:30 p.m.,
the jamming stops.
Last month, the government confiscated several short-wave radios from villagers,
which had been issued by a nongovernmental organization free of charge.
Zimbabwe has one “national” broadcaster which has one television channel and
four radio channels. They are the source of ruling party propaganda 24 hours a
day and promote hate speech.
The government also controls all the state newspapers through the ruling party,
except The Standard and the Zimbabwe Independent. The publisher of these two
papers, Trevor Ncube, had his Zimbabwean citizenship cancelled by Zimbabwe’s
registrar general late last year. The registrar general, a ruling party
stalwart, had declared Ncube a Zambian because his father was born in Zambia.
The younger Ncube was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, after
his parents had received Zimbabwean citizenship. His citizenship was reinstated
in January after he took the registrar general to court. The same registrar
general previously seized Ncube’s passport, but was forced to return it.
For further informant contact:
Robert Russell
Executive Director
CRNI
+ 1 703 543 8727
Mayte6@aol.com
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