Tough Laugh x Tough Law

As part of its “Enhancing legal support to press cartoonists in the digital age” project, Cartooning for Peace is joining forces with the “Tough Laugh” project. A project about press cartoonists and the dangers they face to make us laugh – and think.

Imagine publishing one of your cartoons on Twitter, and a few hours later being stopped and arrested by the police while you are driving home with your family.

Imagine being at home, on a regular evening, and receiving a notification on social media that proceedings against you are starting for three cartoons you published.

Imagined and designed by Italian cartoonist Emanuele del Rosso (Cartooning for Peace member) and Federica Testi, the project tells the story of cartoonists in danger.

We all come across great editorial cartoons, reading a magazine, on social media, watching TV. But we seldom think about the author of the cartoon that made us laugh, or think, or even made us angry.

Many cartoonists face economic hardship, harassment, threats and even physical violence for the job they do. Some are killed. And they often are not considered equals to journalists.

“Tough Laugh” tells the stories of these cartoonists, in two ways:

🎙 With a podcast – LISTEN HERE

A series of episodes produced and published in partnership with Cartooning for Peace, within the project “Enhancing legal support to press cartoonists in the digital age”.

The episodes — each in a different language: English, Spanish, French — tackle the stories of criminalised editorial cartoonists, digging into the challenges that come with publishing cartoons, and how the law has been, and is, (mis)used to censor them. Hence, the name of this first special Tough Laugh season: “Tough Laugh, Tough Law”.

Podcast the first episode – in English – which looks back on Emad Hajjaj (Jordan), Gábor Pápai (Hungary) and Rachita Taneja (India) experiences with the law:

Podcast the second episode – in Spanish – which looks back on Pedro X.Molina (Nicaragua) experience with the law:

Podcast the third episode – in French – which looks back on Boníl (Ecuador) experience with the law:

📩 With a newsletter

A space to talk about cartooning, its history, its present and its future, telling the stories of cartoonists and all the challenges they face to make us laugh and think. Register now!