DarylCagle.comHere are my cartoons on the continuing protests in Egypt. The best part about covering a story that “has legs” is it allows you to explore multiple aspects of an event from different perspectives as it develops.
I just received a bunch of cartoons about the continuing unrest in Egypt by Omar Abdallat, the cartoonist for the Addustour newspaper in Jordan. Much like fellow Jordanian cartoonist Emad Hajjaj (view his cartoons about the Egyptian protests here), Omar’s cartoons are bold and powerful, and the imagery is both simple and direct.
Jordan is experiencing protests as well, as demonstrators rally against food prices and poor living conditions. King Abdullah has already responded by replacing his prime minister, so as we watch the protests in Egypt and Tunisia grow, we should ask ourselves if Jordan is next?
Here are some terrific cartoons about the protests taking place in Egypt by Emad Hajjaj, a Jordanian cartoonist that draws for the Alghad newspaper.
As Egyptians continue to protest and call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the government has responded by cracking down on the media and shutting down the nation’s internet.
This crackdown hasn’t stopped Sherif Arafa, the cartoonist for the state-run Alittihad newspaper in Egypt (click here to view his cartoon archive), from filing new cartoons about the demonstrations. On a normal day Sherif struggles to voice his criticism without triggering the censors in a country where free speech is too often trampled upon.
Working for a government-run newspaper, Sherif is not allowed to draw about specific politicians, such as President Mubarak, or criticize religion. As a way around that, he created a character called “The Responsible” so he could say what he wanted.
Here are some of his most recent cartoons about the protests in Egypt that threaten to topple the Mubarak government:
More than any other media, cartoons have the ability to sum up important events into one single, powerful image, and tap into the collective mood of the country.
Some perfect examples of this are a couple of cartoons drawn in light of today’s anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, which happened 25 years ago today.
The first is drawn by Jeff Parker, the staff cartoonist at Florida Today. His paper is based on the Space Coast, and one of their main beats is covering NASA, so when it came time to remember the astranauts that were killed during this tragedy, Jeff had to feel for the collective pulse of not only the community he works and lives in, but the country at large. His tribute cartoon is simple, powerful and captures the mood of the country when thinking back on this tragic event.
The second cartoon comes from Dave Granlund, and touches on the impact teacher turned astronaut Christa McAuliffe continues to have on students across the country. The Challenger accident dealt a harsh blow to America in large part because Christa inspired millions of teachers and students to tune into the launch to see her become NASA’s first teacher in space.
Cartoons can do more than entertain us. They can give us insight into world events, hold politicians accountable and as these cartoons show, tap into the mood of the country to not only remember important events, but place them into the proper historical context. All in one image.
Tonight, President Obama will be giving his State of the Union speech. As is tradition, the Republicans will counter with an official rebuttal, given this year by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan.
But thanks to the tea party movement, there will be a third Republican response, given by tea party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).
Find a politician who hangs out on the fringe and says crazy things (like the founding fathers ended slavery), and you’ll often find a local political cartoonist making a living lampooning her.
Bachmann has the misfortune of sharing a state with the talented Steve Sack, the terrific cartoonist at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Steve has been a long-time contributor on Cagle.com, and we thought in light of Bachmann’s remarks tonight to share some of his funniest cartoons about the right’s second-favorite female politician.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Peter Broelman, the brilliant Australian cartoonist who has contributed to Cagle.com for years.
Australia is one of the great cartooning countries of the world. In fact, their cartooning association, the Australian Cartoonists’ Association, was formed in 1924 and is the oldest in the world.
I’ve always noticed that there’s a level of nastiness in Australian cartoons that well exceeds what we see in American cartoons, so I was curious what Peter thought about the difference.
“It’s a great place to cartoon,” Peter told me. “We just need more newspapers.”
Check out the interview here:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm8byzo8zWE&w=600&h=480]
Here are some of Peter’s recent cartoons. View more of Peter’s fantastic cartoons here.
