WEBVTT 00:00:00.083 --> 00:00:03.792 [This talk is delivered in Spanish with consecutive English translation] NOTE Paragraph 00:00:04.958 --> 00:00:08.693 (Rayma Suprani: Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:08.947 --> 00:00:10.828 Cloe Shasha: When I was a little girl, 00:00:10.858 --> 00:00:13.226 I used to draw on all the walls of my house. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:13.250 --> 00:00:16.167 (RS: Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:21.583 --> 00:00:24.309 CS: Until one day, my mother got angry and told me, 00:00:24.333 --> 00:00:26.101 "You can only draw on one wall. 00:00:26.125 --> 00:00:27.643 Don't draw on any others." NOTE Paragraph 00:00:27.667 --> 00:00:29.101 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:29.125 --> 00:00:32.601 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:32.625 --> 00:00:36.476 That was the first time I experienced an act of totalitarian censorship. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:39.518 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:39.542 --> 00:00:41.500 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:44.708 --> 00:00:48.292 But a lack of freedom stimulates creativity and empowers it. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:48.875 --> 00:00:52.000 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:01:07.042 --> 00:01:09.393 Many years have passed since my childhood, 00:01:09.417 --> 00:01:11.018 but throughout my formal studies, 00:01:11.042 --> 00:01:13.559 I found myself drawing in the margins of my notebooks 00:01:13.583 --> 00:01:16.226 instead of paying attention to my professors. 00:01:16.250 --> 00:01:18.018 I studied journalism in college 00:01:18.042 --> 00:01:21.643 with the intention of expanding my communication and writing skills, 00:01:21.667 --> 00:01:24.268 but the only thing that I felt connected to in life 00:01:24.292 --> 00:01:25.684 was drawing. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:25.708 --> 00:01:28.500 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:01:31.625 --> 00:01:33.434 I was born in a democracy, 00:01:33.458 --> 00:01:36.917 in a country called Venezuela, which is now a dictatorship. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:37.458 --> 00:01:40.708 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:01:49.625 --> 00:01:50.893 For 19 years, 00:01:50.917 --> 00:01:53.268 I was the daily cartoonist for "El Universal," 00:01:53.292 --> 00:01:55.809 one of the biggest newspapers in Venezuela. 00:01:55.833 --> 00:02:00.726 I really enjoyed translating political and cultural current events into drawings. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:00.750 --> 00:02:03.500 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:13.292 --> 00:02:14.643 In the year 2014, 00:02:14.667 --> 00:02:18.268 I got fired from my job at the newspaper over a cartoon that I drew 00:02:18.292 --> 00:02:21.059 alluding to the health care system in Venezuela. 00:02:21.083 --> 00:02:23.518 I drew a flat line of a heartbeat monitor, 00:02:23.542 --> 00:02:25.809 but I intentionally drew the heartbeat line 00:02:25.833 --> 00:02:28.559 in a way that resembled the signature of Hugo Chavez, 00:02:28.583 --> 00:02:30.518 the former president of Venezuela. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:30.542 --> 00:02:31.559 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:31.583 --> 00:02:34.125 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:39.833 --> 00:02:42.226 All of this happened after the newspaper was bought 00:02:42.250 --> 00:02:43.809 by an unknown company, 00:02:43.833 --> 00:02:45.226 and some of us suspect 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:48.583 that it was the Venezuelan government who was behind that deal. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:48.958 --> 00:02:52.750 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:59.833 --> 00:03:02.559 My work as a cartoonist became more and more of a nuisance 00:03:02.583 --> 00:03:03.934 for the dictatorship. 00:03:03.958 --> 00:03:06.684 They have no tolerance for any freedom of expression 00:03:06.708 --> 00:03:08.125 or free thinking. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:08.833 --> 00:03:12.458 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:03:25.625 --> 00:03:26.893 After I got fired, 00:03:26.917 --> 00:03:29.559 I started to feel unsafe in my own country. 00:03:29.583 --> 00:03:32.476 I received anonymous calls and death threats. 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:35.393 I was mocked publicly on national television. 00:03:35.417 --> 00:03:37.726 I was eventually forced out of Venezuela, 00:03:37.750 --> 00:03:39.726 and I now live in Miami, Florida, 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:42.393 where I am free to be my own editor for my work. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:42.417 --> 00:03:46.042 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:03:55.375 --> 00:03:58.809 A political cartoon is a barometer of freedom in a country. 00:03:58.833 --> 00:04:00.976 That's why dictators hate cartoonists 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:04.101 and try to eradicate everything that involves humor 00:04:04.125 --> 00:04:06.833 as a mirror for social and political issues. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:07.792 --> 00:04:11.292 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:14.792 --> 00:04:18.351 A cartoon involves a delicate balance of ideas and drawings 00:04:18.375 --> 00:04:20.434 that reveal a hidden truth. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:20.458 --> 00:04:25.184 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:25.208 --> 00:04:28.934 And a good cartoon is one that conveys a plot of a full-length movie 00:04:28.958 --> 00:04:30.476 in a single frame. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:33.875 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:44.417 --> 00:04:48.184 A cartoon needs to communicate the core of a story with its precision. 00:04:48.208 --> 00:04:49.476 And when it succeeds, 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:52.643 its message can have the effect of inoculating people 00:04:52.667 --> 00:04:54.542 with a dose of skepticism. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:54.958 --> 00:04:58.000 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:05:10.708 --> 00:05:14.143 Cartoons are drawn from observation and analysis. 00:05:14.167 --> 00:05:16.476 They are inspired by muses of mythology, 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:20.268 as well as classical, modern and paleolithic tales. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:20.292 --> 00:05:21.976 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.393 When we are told that a modern-day emperor is wearing new clothes, 00:05:26.417 --> 00:05:30.309 cartoons reveal that the emperor just might still be naked. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:30.333 --> 00:05:33.792 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:05:46.208 --> 00:05:47.684 At one point in my career, 00:05:47.708 --> 00:05:51.518 I drew pigs and compared them with politicians and national guards 00:05:51.542 --> 00:05:55.559 who were responsible for stopping peaceful student demonstrations. 00:05:55.583 --> 00:05:57.726 One day, when I got back to my office, 00:05:57.750 --> 00:05:59.601 I had a letter on my desk. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:59.625 --> 00:06:03.976 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.976 The letter was from the Venezuelan Swine Federation. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:08.434 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:08.458 --> 00:06:11.792 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:31.268 The letter said, 00:06:31.292 --> 00:06:34.684 "Please do not compare an animal as wonderful as a pig with politicians. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:34.708 --> 00:06:35.726 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:37.351 Pigs are very friendly and noble, 00:06:37.375 --> 00:06:38.851 they can be a great mascot, 00:06:38.875 --> 00:06:40.184 they make good pets 00:06:40.208 --> 00:06:44.018 and they provide sustenance to us in the form of pork." NOTE Paragraph 00:06:44.042 --> 00:06:45.792 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:49.958 --> 00:06:51.684 I think they were absolutely right. 00:06:51.708 --> 00:06:53.101 I didn't draw any more pigs, 00:06:53.125 --> 00:06:55.184 but I did keep drawing politicians. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:55.208 --> 00:06:56.226 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:56.250 --> 00:06:58.583 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:07:14.458 --> 00:07:17.309 A cartoon travels on an information highway, 00:07:17.333 --> 00:07:19.393 which seems like it has multiple lanes, 00:07:19.417 --> 00:07:21.393 but in reality, all of these lanes 00:07:21.417 --> 00:07:25.393 lead to a binary response of either positivity or rage. 00:07:25.417 --> 00:07:27.976 "I like it" or "I don't like it." 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.351 Those are the only responses 00:07:29.375 --> 00:07:32.476 that govern democratic thinking on the internet. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:35.750 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:07:43.542 --> 00:07:46.059 We have lost the space for nuanced debate, 00:07:46.083 --> 00:07:47.351 we have no time, 00:07:47.375 --> 00:07:49.934 so we simply respond with approval or disdain, 00:07:49.958 --> 00:07:52.559 and we let algorithms take over. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:52.583 --> 00:07:55.667 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:08:08.750 --> 00:08:12.934 But a cartoon is born from a space of deep, nuanced thinking. 00:08:12.958 --> 00:08:15.726 Creating a good cartoon involves repeated failures, 00:08:15.750 --> 00:08:17.643 draft after draft. 00:08:17.667 --> 00:08:20.018 And a cartoonist must shed their own taboos 00:08:20.042 --> 00:08:23.226 to spark a conversation, rather than a confrontation, 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:24.893 through their work. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:24.917 --> 00:08:28.667 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:08:42.833 --> 00:08:46.143 In the year 2013, President Chavez died, 00:08:46.167 --> 00:08:49.143 and I had to think about what to draw as the cartoon of the day 00:08:49.167 --> 00:08:50.434 at "El Universal." 00:08:50.458 --> 00:08:52.684 I was personally happy that he had passed away, 00:08:52.708 --> 00:08:54.708 because I thought that the end of his power 00:08:54.732 --> 00:08:58.476 would potentially bring our country closer to freedom and better times. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:02.083 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.393 But there were many other people who were mourning the death of Chavez, 00:09:11.417 --> 00:09:13.560 so there was a divided sentiment in Venezuela. 00:09:13.584 --> 00:09:14.851 Some were celebrating, 00:09:14.875 --> 00:09:18.018 and others were crying at the loss of their leader. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:18.042 --> 00:09:21.458 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:34.518 I felt stuck, 00:09:34.542 --> 00:09:37.268 I really didn't know what to draw in this historic moment. 00:09:37.292 --> 00:09:40.601 And I knew that I couldn't allow my happiness to seep into my work, 00:09:40.625 --> 00:09:43.893 that I should take the higher road and respect people's grief. 00:09:43.917 --> 00:09:45.809 So what could I draw? NOTE Paragraph 00:09:45.833 --> 00:09:49.208 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:06.434 I spent many hours drafting and throwing out papers. 00:10:06.458 --> 00:10:07.893 My editor called me and said 00:10:07.917 --> 00:10:10.143 everything was late for that day's newspaper 00:10:10.167 --> 00:10:11.934 and asked me when I'd be done. 00:10:11.958 --> 00:10:14.768 It was in the middle of the night that the idea came to me. 00:10:14.792 --> 00:10:16.476 And we then published a cartoon 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.643 that represented a historical moment in time. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:19.667 --> 00:10:23.059 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:10:23.083 --> 00:10:25.958 A fallen king chess piece in red. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:26.708 --> 00:10:29.542 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:10:38.958 --> 00:10:41.101 A good cartoon has a lot of power. 00:10:41.125 --> 00:10:43.643 It can generate action and reaction. 00:10:43.667 --> 00:10:47.268 That's why a cartoonist must exercise their power responsibly, 00:10:47.292 --> 00:10:48.768 showcasing the truth 00:10:48.792 --> 00:10:51.643 and drawing without the fear of consequences. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:51.667 --> 00:10:56.059 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:10:56.083 --> 00:10:57.726 Having an opinion has a cost, 00:10:57.750 --> 00:11:00.768 and in some countries, that cost is high. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:00.792 --> 00:11:03.583 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:17.708 --> 00:11:18.976 In Venezuela, 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.976 many young people have been killed for protesting peacefully. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:24.351 There are men and women who are stuck behind bars 00:11:24.375 --> 00:11:26.101 as political prisoners. 00:11:26.125 --> 00:11:27.393 So over the years, 00:11:27.417 --> 00:11:29.371 I've drawn the faces of imprisoned women, 00:11:29.375 --> 00:11:33.059 because I don't want them to be forgotten by the community. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:33.083 --> 00:11:35.708 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:54.792 --> 00:11:57.518 This year at an event called El Foro Penal, 00:11:57.542 --> 00:11:59.018 which is a criminal forum 00:11:59.042 --> 00:12:01.018 where a group of lawyers do pro bono work 00:12:01.042 --> 00:12:03.018 for Venezuelan political prisoners, 00:12:03.042 --> 00:12:05.601 a young woman approached me and she said, 00:12:05.625 --> 00:12:06.976 "I was imprisoned, 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.726 and then you drew my face and my story. 00:12:09.750 --> 00:12:12.893 It's because of that drawing that people knew who I was. 00:12:12.917 --> 00:12:15.809 Your cartoon helped me survive my days in prison. 00:12:15.833 --> 00:12:17.101 Thank you." NOTE Paragraph 00:12:17.125 --> 00:12:20.208 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:12:24.125 --> 00:12:26.101 This was a moment that meant a lot to me, 00:12:26.125 --> 00:12:28.059 because I had found a way to collaborate 00:12:28.083 --> 00:12:30.476 with the memories of my country and its people. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:32.875 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:12:49.708 --> 00:12:53.434 Last year, I started making drawings about immigration. 00:12:53.458 --> 00:12:56.309 I drew my own world, my fears, 00:12:56.333 --> 00:12:58.434 my suitcase, my roots 00:12:58.458 --> 00:13:01.601 and everything that I had to leave behind in Venezuela. 00:13:01.625 --> 00:13:04.809 I also drew my joy in the face of this new opportunity 00:13:04.833 --> 00:13:06.934 as an immigrant in the United States. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:06.958 --> 00:13:10.333 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:13:13.667 --> 00:13:15.768 From there, I worked on a series of drawings 00:13:15.792 --> 00:13:19.351 that represented the experience and psychology of immigration. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:19.375 --> 00:13:22.083 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.101 Being an immigrant is like moving to another planet. 00:13:36.125 --> 00:13:39.643 At first, you don't understand anything about your new world. 00:13:39.667 --> 00:13:41.893 There are new codes, a new language 00:13:41.917 --> 00:13:44.726 and unfamiliar tools you need to learn how to use 00:13:44.750 --> 00:13:47.309 in order to adapt to your new life. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:47.333 --> 00:13:49.875 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:13:52.833 --> 00:13:55.893 Being an immigrant is the closest thing to being an astronaut 00:13:55.917 --> 00:13:57.601 who landed on the moon. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:57.625 --> 00:13:59.875 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:14:13.542 --> 00:14:16.934 Over time, that series of drawings became a traveling exhibition, 00:14:16.958 --> 00:14:18.809 called "I, Immigrant." 00:14:18.833 --> 00:14:21.101 And the exhibition traveled to multiple cities, 00:14:21.125 --> 00:14:24.309 including Miami, Houston, Madrid, Barcelona, 00:14:24.333 --> 00:14:26.434 and we're hoping for more places. NOTE Paragraph 00:14:26.458 --> 00:14:29.250 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:14:34.458 --> 00:14:37.434 The show has become a meeting space for the diaspora, 00:14:37.458 --> 00:14:41.351 for people to gather and recognize their shared experiences of suffering 00:14:41.375 --> 00:14:43.184 that come with immigration. NOTE Paragraph 00:14:43.208 --> 00:14:45.792 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:04.809 What I want these drawings to convey 00:15:04.833 --> 00:15:07.268 is that an immigrant is not a criminal. 00:15:07.292 --> 00:15:10.184 An immigrant is a person whose life has been broken. 00:15:10.208 --> 00:15:13.268 A person who has very likely been separated from their family 00:15:13.292 --> 00:15:15.184 under inhumane conditions. 00:15:15.208 --> 00:15:18.833 Who has been forced to leave their country in search of a better life. NOTE Paragraph 00:15:19.333 --> 00:15:22.333 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:15:31.708 --> 00:15:33.851 A drawing can be a synthesis of a place, 00:15:33.875 --> 00:15:37.018 a universe, a country or a society. 00:15:37.042 --> 00:15:40.226 It can also represent the inner workings of someone's mind. 00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:44.309 For me, drawing cartoons is a form of resistance. NOTE Paragraph 00:15:44.333 --> 00:15:46.833 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:15:57.625 --> 00:16:00.059 A cartoon is like a Rosetta stone. 00:16:00.083 --> 00:16:01.768 If we throw it into outer space, 00:16:01.792 --> 00:16:04.309 a future alien would be able to know with certainty 00:16:04.333 --> 00:16:05.601 that in the past, 00:16:05.625 --> 00:16:08.893 we once had a civilized world with free thinking. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:08.917 --> 00:16:11.875 (Speaks Spanish) NOTE Paragraph 00:16:15.542 --> 00:16:19.226 That one wall that my mother gave me the freedom to draw on feels infinite. 00:16:19.250 --> 00:16:22.434 And it's for that reason that I am still drawing. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:22.458 --> 00:16:23.809 Thank you very much. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:23.833 --> 00:16:29.542 (Cheers and applause)