“The loss of Kofi Annan, Honorary president of Cartooning for Peace, arouses a deep sadness and also represents a big loss for freedom of speech. After an outstanding diplomatic career, the former United Nations Secretary-General, also Nobel Peace Prize, gathered press cartoonists from all around the world in 2006 at UN: he wanted to build a bridge between press cartoonists and the various cultures on the planet. This was right after the “Mahomet cartoon scandal” of the Danish cartoonist. The further generations will realise how irreparable is the loss of Kofi Annan for freedom and culture. Beyond his political dimension, Kofi had a big heart and was charismatic and benevolent. He always showed up when there was a need to defend the journalists and cartoonists threatened in the world. We are saying good-bye to a great man and we are sincerely mourning him. We are having a special thought for his children and his wife Nane who asked him, for a long time and not without humour, to become gardener because he was spending too much energy for the causes he was fighting for.”
Plantu, Cartooning for Peace President
“I can call him my friend, because he is the one who gave me his friendship. I met him a decade ago, when we created with Plantu our foundation Cartooning for Peace, when he was still the United Nations Secretary-General. He agreed to become Honorary President of our project. Despite our age and background differences, him, the singer of U2 Bono or the actor Morgan Freeman, who he was often mistaken with, what made him laugh a lot, Kofi Annan gave me the honour of his friendship. It always struck me. He was deeply friendly, totally authentic. Great men are measured by small gestures. In addition to his diplomatic functions, Kofi Annan, with his wife Nane, was a friend of arts, passionate of press cartoons and freedom of speech. Until recently, he personally took action with the Turkish President Erdogan to intercede for the 2018 laureate of our foundation prize, the cartoonist Musa Kart, sentenced to jail for 3 years and half. He was caring about others, never forgot them.”
Chappatte, Vice President of the Cartooning for Peace Swiss Foundation
