The story of Cartooning for Peace (CFP) is that of a virtually prophetic vision.
A vision that dates back 20 years, shared by two men: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the cartoonist Plantu. Both deeply affected by the intensity of the controversy following the publication of the so-called ‘Prophet’ cartoons, it became clear to them that editorial cartoons played a central role in democratic debate, intercultural dialogue and ‘living together’.
And yet, that was before the collapse of the press and the decline in newspaper readership, which have reduced the audience accustomed to reading and interpreting editorial cartoons; before the proliferation of disinformation tools; before the explosion of social media, which encourages us to retreat into our own circles of like-minded people and further fuels radical opinions; before the wave of authoritarian populism that facilitates the emergence of illiberal regimes where criticism and opposition are no longer welcome… Our two founders mapped out CFP’s international missions as if they had anticipated all these massive changes.
