DEMOCRACY CHAPTER 9 VOICES OF GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY: CARTOONISTS, COMIC STRIP ARTISTS, AND GRAPHIC NOVELISTS

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1 CHAPTER 9 DEMOCRACY : CARTOONISTS, COMIC STRIP ARTISTS, AND GRAPHIC NOVELISTS Introduction Fiona Holland Their lifeblood is contentious political issues, they are common to many cultures and reach a broad audience. Yet the importance of editorial cartoonists, graphic novelists and comic strip artists is easily overlooked in the study of global civil society - despite, or perhaps because of, the ubiquity of their art form. Arguably, in an interconnected world, characterised by accelerated and new modes of communication, as well as growing concern about global issues, this graphic form of communication represents an increasingly significant political phenomenon, particularly because it does not rely on language. Political cartoonists should be considered as important actors in global civil society. Thus, in a Yearbook focused on communicative power and democracy, it is pertinent and timely to highlight their role in provoking debate and catalysing reflection about complex political issues through an eclectic display of cartoons, graphic novel extracts and comic strips that, whether piercing barbs or gentle pokes, are vivid, inventive and compelling. To that end, we invited contributions and selected works from around the world on seven broad themes of concern to global civil society: Democracy, HIV and AIDS, the Environment, Conflict, Accountability and Transparency of Institutions, Human Rights, and Voices (that is, freedom of expression and the media). In presenting this diverse selection, we invite readers to consider the following questions, which arose during our discussions about this initiative. What is a political cartoon? To what extent are images empowering and have power? How important is this medium of communication in societies with a high degree of illiteracy? Why are there so few women artists? Do cartoons influence people's political priorities and if so, how can we understand this process? What happens in the space between artistic intention and audience interpretation? To what extent can cartooning challenge power holders, particularly in illiberal regimes where the press and freedom of expression may be suppressed? Ultimately, the key aim of this initiative is to invite discussion and encourage reflection about the role of cartoonists and impact of their work. The debate will continue beyond the pages of the Yearbook in a public exhibition at the London School of Economics and Political Science, 10 October-29 November 2007, and in a series of events at LSE and beyond, between autumn 2007 and spring For more information, please visit: Many people have contributed to this initiative and here we would like to thank those artists who have made this Chapter possible: Derkaoui Abdellah, Levon Abrahamian, Steve Bell, Thomas Boldt (Tab), Angel Boligan, Cintia Bolio, Matt Bors, Patrick Chappatte, Ali Farzat, Bill Greenhead, Harry Harrison, Hassan Karimzadeh, Keith Knight, Predrag Koraksić (Corax), Andrzej Krauze, Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado), Paresh Nath, Issa Nyaphaga, Stephane Peray (Stephff), Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro), Muhammad Zahoor. Extracts on page from Palestine by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics Books 2001), and on from Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (Jonathan Cape 2003). For advice and assistance, many thanks to Muhammad Altamash, the Yearbook Editorial Committee, Anita O'Brien of the Cartoon Museum, London, and Holli Semetko and Alma Freeman of the Claus M Halle Institute for Global Learning at Emory University. Responsibility for this initiative of course remains with the Yearbook editors

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4 HIV AND AIDS

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6 ENVIRONMENT

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8 HUMAN RIGHTS

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10 INSTITUTIONS

11 CONFLICT

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13 VOICES

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