AS a child growing up in the 1980s, Sundays always offered me windows of surprises. I anticipated the weekends because I had to grab my parent’s magazines and newspapers to look for the cartoons of the late Larry Alcala.
I always had fun looking for the bemoustached Alcala, who hid his cartoon image obscurely in the walls, chairs, furniture, shirts and cups, in his famous “Slice of Life” series. I had to turn the whole page of the magazine upside down, or sometimes sideways, to find Alcala. It was a challenge. I definitely learned patience as I enjoyed his unique brand of humor.
His “Asiong Aksaya” character was a big spender who turned on many air-conditioning units or electric fans at the same time, or let the water from the faucet flow constantly. Asiong endlessly wasted everything he had.
He was so popular that a movie was made to popularize the character. Asiong became a living icon to promote energy conservation in my generation.
Alcala was a creative genius. His comic renditions with a dash of satire were purely exceptional. Never did he know that he had a profound impact in my life. Through his drawings, I was exposed to realities of Filipino society—family togetherness, religiosity and respect for elders, the concept of mistresses, abuses of government officials, good governance, energy-saving tips and other daily nuances. It was too bad that I did not get the chance to meet him in person.
European and Filipino cartoonists at work in Manila
My fascination with cartoonists was rekindled when I met Bob Katzenelson, who arrived from Denmark early last week.
They joined other cartoonists Plantu (France), Philippe Baumann (Switzerland), Thomas Plassman and Miriam Wurster (Germany). They joined local cartoonists Norman Isaac, Steven Pabalinas, Roni Santiago, Mannix Abrera, Rene Aranda and freelancer Rob Cham for the Cartooning for Peace event.
The European cartoonists collaborated for one week with their local counterparts, while also participating in a series of conferences, master classes, interviews and cartooning workshops in select Metro Manila universities.
The Cartooning for Peace is a network of 130 cartoonists around the world who use the power and language of images to fight for peace and freedom of expression. It was founded at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2006 by the then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Plantu.
Bob Katzenelson
Katzenelson said upon his arrival that if they joined cartoonists here, they can break cultural borders. Katzenelson has been working as an illustrator, cartoonist and caricaturist since the middle of the 1980s with a variety of Danish newspapers and magazines both as an employee and as a freelancer.
Now freelancing for Berlingske, a major Danish newspaper, he is now vice president of the Danish Cartoonists.
“Making drawings is a way of living and a way of seeing the world. If you like to draw and want to refine your expressions, then cartooning is for you. Even though it looks easy, it is hard work,” Katzenelson said.
He added: “You have to do a lot of sketching. If you have the passion, you have to keep on drawing. But if don’t have the talent to make it a way of living, you can still have it as a great hobby.”
Katzenelson said cartooning is a means to communicate.
“We like to highlight the commonalities. There are cultural differences. I like to find out if there is a common language between us. You have different rules and perspectives which I want to find out about,” he said when asked about his expectations in his participation in this initiative.
A first-time visitor in the Philippines, Katzenelson said that peace process, in general, is very complicated. He said they can focus on the wrongdoings and misuse of power.
“You can pinpoint the wrong things. We cannot give all solutions. We are not prophets, but we can pinpoint problems through metaphors. We can open people’s eyes,” Katzenelson said.
European Union’s Peace Journalism Awards
Perhaps because of my journalism background, I always draw up programs to acknowledge the role of the media as agents of social transformation, especially in the context of the European Union’s (EU) commitment to the peace process.
Together with partners, the EU Delegation to the Philippines is holding the EU Peace Journalism Awards. Entries can be submitted until the end of the month to DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES-PPI@eeas.europa.eu. The grand winner goes to Brussels this year.
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