Kick-starting 2017, the city of Morges in Switzerland is building bridges between Malaysia and Kenya. Both laureates of the Cartooning for Peace-City of Geneva 2016 prize – awarded by the Honorary President of the Cartooning for Peace Swiss Foundation, Mr. Kofi Annan, on World Press Freedom Day – cartoonists Zunar and Gado exhibit their work for the first time at the Maison du Dessin de Presse
Having very different drawing styles, their cartoons nonetheless have much in common: they all denounce corruption in their respective countries. Zunar and Gado are fighting for freedom and justice with their pens even if they are enduring threats, dismissals from their newspapers, travel ban and other reprisals. With courage and humor they mean to sketch their vision of a damaged world.
Star-cartoonist at Nairobi Daily Nation, one of the most popular newspaper in Central & East Africa, Gado lost his job following Kenya government’s continued pressure. government’s bugbear. Because of his cartoons denouncing the corruption in all layers of Malaysian society, Zunar has been subjected to various kinds of persecution including repeated detention, arrests of assistants and supporters, a travel ban, the closure of his website, the confiscation of his cartoons and a ban on his cartoon books. He is already facing up to 43 years in prison on nine counts of violating the Sedition Act.
“Gado and Zunar remind us how fragile this liberty remains in Africa and in Asia as well as in other regions of the world. Through their commitment towards open and transparent societies, Gado and Zunar, who have received threats in their countries of origin and can no longer practice their profession, confront us with our responsibility to preserve freedom of expression and act in order to support the combat of those who cannot express themselves through their art”, declared Mr Annan.
Exhibition on display from Friday 27th January at the Maison du Dessin de Presse in Morges.
More info here.
