Cartooning in Africa
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, CFI teamed up with Cartooning for Peace, an international network of socially-engaged editorial cartoonists, to promote editorial cartooning.
The 26th edition of World Press Freedom Day, an event organised by UNESCO focusing on the role of the media in elections and democracy, was held on 2 and 3 May 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The initiative serves to showcase the vital role that editorial cartoonists, both male and female, play in the democratic process and to highlight the abuses they sometimes face.
26 press cartoonists from across the globe in attendance
Cartooning for Peace brought together 26 editorial cartoonists from across the globe. As practitioners of freedom of expression, they favour a different approach involving caricature and cartoons with commentary, playing on situational comedy to condemn or encourage. In doing so, they are able to incorporate artistic creation in the news landscape in order to promote free speech and facilitate understanding and dissemination, an essential ingredient of democratic debate, particularly during election periods.
Activities offered by Cartooning for Peace:
● Organisation of the “Cartooning for Peace and Democracy: artistic freedom and freedom of expression at the tip of the pen" session
● Creation of the “Cartooning in Africa" exhibition
● Workshops and meetings with African editorial cartoonists
● Participation by Cartooning for Peace in other sessions and plenaries
● Publication in 2020 of an illustrated book on press freedom in Africa published by Calmann-Lévy
