Newsletter August 2024

News from the world of editorial cartooning

Hello!

Since we’ve been away on summer break for most of the month, we do not have a whole lot to report about August, but we can offer you a taste of what’s to come in September and beyond!

We’ve resumed our regular publication schedule, so if you haven’t subscribed to our daily cartoon (and you would like to), click here:

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Cartoon Movement in Tirana (Albania)

CM editor and cartoonist Tjeerd Royaards will give a workshop at the Albanian Media Institute on September 10.

Tjeerd will show why visual satire is such a powerful way to hold those in power accountable, to expose injustice and corruption and to point out what is wrong in society. So powerful that around the world, cartoonists are still put in jail by dictators that fear the power of the pencil.

No matter your level of knowledge about political cartoons or your drawing skill level, this workshop is designed to give you a better understanding of how they work and how to make them.

If you’re in Tirana and you’re interested in political cartoons (and might even be considering becoming a political cartoonist), you are welcome to join! keep an eye on our socials and/or website where we will share additional details soon.

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Cartoon Movement at Lectorinfabula (Italy)

Lectorinfabula is a European cultural festival that takes place between 19 and 25 September in Coversano, Italy, bringing authors, journalists, scholars and intellectuals from all over Europe, including a number of cartoonists.

We’ll be present there to discuss the importance of political satire for journalism, or, put more simply: why more publications should include political cartoons!

Again, keep an eye on our socials and/or website where we will share additional details soon.

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Upcoming book review: Cartoons and Antisemitism

Cartoons and Antisemitism: Visual Politics of Interwar Poland, by Ewa Stańczyk, explores the role that antisemitic caricature played in the 1930s. This academic publication is especially relevant in a time when antisemitism is on the rise again, renewing the need to recognize antisemitic tropes, understand where they come from and how they are used. It also shows how satire can be misused to attack and dehumanize minorities.

The review will be posted on our blog in the next few weeks.

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17 October: Cartoons Day (The Netherlands)

If you’re in the Netherlands in October, you should definitely sign up for Cartoons Day, organized by the European Cartoon Award. The ECA ‘Cartoons Day’ is an event dedicated to political cartoons, with panels, workshops, debates, and the Award Ceremony of the European Cartoon Award 2024.

The main theme of this edition will be polarization: we live in a world where positions and opinions are becoming increasingly polarized. Wars and disasters, and the effect of social media on the public sphere, generate a climate of anger, making it difficult to discuss important matters. This situation affects editorial cartoonists as well. They have to deal with controversies, online hate, job insecurity, and real threats to their safety.

Cartoons Day will take. place on Thursday , October 17, 2024 from 03:30 PM until 10:00 PM at the Central Library in The Hague. You can register for the event (for free!) by clicking this button:

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Most popular this month

Take a look at the most popular cartoons from the last 30 days on our social media channels.

On Facebook: Smartphone versus brain by Nawar Khalil.

On Instagram and Pinterest: Game night by Z.

On X: The Elon Musk-Trump interview by Glen Le Lievre.