Summary: Political cartoonists debate press freedom at EU Parliament (3 May 2007: Brussels)
Cartoonists Jean Plantu (France), Ali Dilem (Algeria) and others taking part in a UN-sponsored "Cartooning for Peace" project debated freedom of expression with members of Parliament's human rights subcommittee on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.
Judging by the outcry that followed the publication of sketches of the Prophet Mohammed and an exhibition of "Holocaust" cartoons in Iran, you might feel that political cartooning is not a good way to build understanding between cultures. The "Cartooning for Peace" project and exhibit aims to prove otherwise. In the words of its founder, French cartoonist Plantu, the initiative aims to show that "there is a way to continue being critical, forceful and penetrating without hatred and, above all,
without such a marked disrespect for the religious convictions of believers and non-believers alike".
Press freedom needs a barometer
"Our work is a little like a barometer that measures freedom of expression", said Plantu today. For Dilem, an Algerian, the barometer seems invulnerable to (political) pressure. When he depicted the Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a cartoon, Dilem "had Bouteflika and the whole Algerian army on his back", noted Plantu. As Dilem himself remarked, "I have been arrested five times, but I will continue to speak out against things I find unacceptable". Speaking of Algeria, "the
purpose of a cartoonist's work is to say that there are people who see a different future for the country then the one we see today", he added. Fittingly, he concluded with an anecdote: having been barred by law from caricaturing an Algerian general, he remembered the authorities asking him: why do you draw these Algerian generals ugly or larger than life? "If I were to draw them looking nice, I might as well quit working", he replied.
Laughter beats totalitarianism
"When there are authoritarian regimes, it is important for there to be laughter", said Bronislaw Geremek (ALDE, PL), referring to his experience in communist Poland. Laughter, he argued, has the power to defeat totalitarianism. He was nonetheless curious about artists' self-censorship when it comes to caricaturing individuals. "Is there a border which should not be overstepped?", he asked. Dilem replied: "When you have no weapon other than a paper and pencil, and you're facing someone -
an Algerian general, for example - who has killed one-hundred and twenty people, there is a small desire to wreak vengeance, to rob the concept of its mystery". Congratulating the cartoonists on their work, Alojz Peterle (EPP-ED, SL) said only that "What you do speaks louder than the words of politicians".
Let ink flow, not blood
Warning that he would sour the mood, Olivier Basille, President of the Belgian section of Reporters sans frontières, briefed members on the threats to press freedom worldwide, citing examples in Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, China, the US, Burma and the Middle East. Turning to the fate of individual journalists held prisoner or hostage, he called on the EU to do something about the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza on 12 March. "We wish to encourage you to keep up
the pressure", he urged. A case like that of Mr Johnston - whose fate remains unknown - sends a "particularly strong signal" to the entire press community. "In the end," he remarked, "no journalist [will be] ready to take the risk" of working in a place like Iraq or the Gaza strip.
Towards the end of the meeting, Plantu displayed several political cartoons, some rather contentious, on a large screen. In between images, he appealed for cartoonists "to be calm" and "to be respectful of people's beliefs". One of these cartoons showed an artist thinking aloud: "Freedom of expression has to do with letting ink flow, not blood".
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