Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them
-
0:00 - 0:04[This talk is delivered in Spanish
with consecutive English translation] -
0:05 - 0:09(Rayma Suprani: Speaks Spanish)
-
0:09 - 0:11Cloe Shasha: When I was a little girl,
-
0:11 - 0:13I used to draw
on all the walls of my house. -
0:13 - 0:16(RS: Speaks Spanish)
-
0:22 - 0:24CS: Until one day, my mother
got angry and told me, -
0:24 - 0:26"You can only draw on one wall.
-
0:26 - 0:28Don't draw on any others."
-
0:28 - 0:29(Laughter)
-
0:29 - 0:33(Speaks Spanish)
-
0:33 - 0:36That was the first time I experienced
an act of totalitarian censorship. -
0:36 - 0:40(Laughter)
-
0:40 - 0:42(Speaks Spanish)
-
0:45 - 0:48But a lack of freedom
stimulates creativity and empowers it. -
0:49 - 0:52(Speaks Spanish)
-
1:07 - 1:09Many years have passed since my childhood,
-
1:09 - 1:11but throughout my formal studies,
-
1:11 - 1:14I found myself drawing
in the margins of my notebooks -
1:14 - 1:16instead of paying attention
to my professors. -
1:16 - 1:18I studied journalism in college
-
1:18 - 1:22with the intention of expanding
my communication and writing skills, -
1:22 - 1:24but the only thing
that I felt connected to in life -
1:24 - 1:26was drawing.
-
1:26 - 1:28(Speaks Spanish)
-
1:32 - 1:33I was born in a democracy,
-
1:33 - 1:37in a country called Venezuela,
which is now a dictatorship. -
1:37 - 1:41(Speaks Spanish)
-
1:50 - 1:51For 19 years,
-
1:51 - 1:53I was the daily cartoonist
for "El Universal," -
1:53 - 1:56one of the biggest newspapers
in Venezuela. -
1:56 - 2:01I really enjoyed translating political
and cultural current events into drawings. -
2:01 - 2:04(Speaks Spanish)
-
2:13 - 2:15In the year 2014,
-
2:15 - 2:18I got fired from my job at the newspaper
over a cartoon that I drew -
2:18 - 2:21alluding to the health care
system in Venezuela. -
2:21 - 2:24I drew a flat line of a heartbeat monitor,
-
2:24 - 2:26but I intentionally drew
the heartbeat line -
2:26 - 2:29in a way that resembled
the signature of Hugo Chavez, -
2:29 - 2:31the former president of Venezuela.
-
2:31 - 2:32(Laughter)
-
2:32 - 2:34(Speaks Spanish)
-
2:40 - 2:42All of this happened
after the newspaper was bought -
2:42 - 2:44by an unknown company,
-
2:44 - 2:45and some of us suspect
-
2:45 - 2:49that it was the Venezuelan government
who was behind that deal. -
2:49 - 2:53(Speaks Spanish)
-
3:00 - 3:03My work as a cartoonist
became more and more of a nuisance -
3:03 - 3:04for the dictatorship.
-
3:04 - 3:07They have no tolerance
for any freedom of expression -
3:07 - 3:08or free thinking.
-
3:09 - 3:12(Speaks Spanish)
-
3:26 - 3:27After I got fired,
-
3:27 - 3:30I started to feel unsafe
in my own country. -
3:30 - 3:32I received anonymous calls
and death threats. -
3:32 - 3:35I was mocked publicly
on national television. -
3:35 - 3:38I was eventually forced out of Venezuela,
-
3:38 - 3:40and I now live in Miami, Florida,
-
3:40 - 3:42where I am free to be
my own editor for my work. -
3:42 - 3:46(Speaks Spanish)
-
3:55 - 3:59A political cartoon is a barometer
of freedom in a country. -
3:59 - 4:01That's why dictators hate cartoonists
-
4:01 - 4:04and try to eradicate everything
that involves humor -
4:04 - 4:07as a mirror for social
and political issues. -
4:08 - 4:11(Speaks Spanish)
-
4:15 - 4:18A cartoon involves a delicate balance
of ideas and drawings -
4:18 - 4:20that reveal a hidden truth.
-
4:20 - 4:25(Speaks Spanish)
-
4:25 - 4:29And a good cartoon is one that conveys
a plot of a full-length movie -
4:29 - 4:30in a single frame.
-
4:30 - 4:34(Speaks Spanish)
-
4:44 - 4:48A cartoon needs to communicate
the core of a story with its precision. -
4:48 - 4:49And when it succeeds,
-
4:50 - 4:53its message can have the effect
of inoculating people -
4:53 - 4:55with a dose of skepticism.
-
4:55 - 4:58(Speaks Spanish)
-
5:11 - 5:14Cartoons are drawn
from observation and analysis. -
5:14 - 5:16They are inspired by muses of mythology,
-
5:16 - 5:20as well as classical, modern
and paleolithic tales. -
5:20 - 5:22(Laughter)
-
5:22 - 5:26When we are told that a modern-day emperor
is wearing new clothes, -
5:26 - 5:30cartoons reveal that the emperor
just might still be naked. -
5:30 - 5:34(Speaks Spanish)
-
5:46 - 5:48At one point in my career,
-
5:48 - 5:52I drew pigs and compared them
with politicians and national guards -
5:52 - 5:56who were responsible for stopping
peaceful student demonstrations. -
5:56 - 5:58One day, when I got back to my office,
-
5:58 - 6:00I had a letter on my desk.
-
6:00 - 6:04(Speaks Spanish)
-
6:04 - 6:07The letter was from
the Venezuelan Swine Federation. -
6:07 - 6:08(Laughter)
-
6:08 - 6:12(Speaks Spanish)
-
6:30 - 6:31The letter said,
-
6:31 - 6:35"Please do not compare an animal
as wonderful as a pig with politicians. -
6:35 - 6:36(Laughter)
-
6:36 - 6:37Pigs are very friendly and noble,
-
6:37 - 6:39they can be a great mascot,
-
6:39 - 6:40they make good pets
-
6:40 - 6:44and they provide sustenance to us
in the form of pork." -
6:44 - 6:46(Speaks Spanish)
-
6:50 - 6:52I think they were absolutely right.
-
6:52 - 6:53I didn't draw any more pigs,
-
6:53 - 6:55but I did keep drawing politicians.
-
6:55 - 6:56(Laughter)
-
6:56 - 6:59(Speaks Spanish)
-
7:14 - 7:17A cartoon travels
on an information highway, -
7:17 - 7:19which seems like it has multiple lanes,
-
7:19 - 7:21but in reality, all of these lanes
-
7:21 - 7:25lead to a binary response
of either positivity or rage. -
7:25 - 7:28"I like it" or "I don't like it."
-
7:28 - 7:29Those are the only responses
-
7:29 - 7:32that govern democratic thinking
on the internet. -
7:32 - 7:36(Speaks Spanish)
-
7:44 - 7:46We have lost the space for nuanced debate,
-
7:46 - 7:47we have no time,
-
7:47 - 7:50so we simply respond
with approval or disdain, -
7:50 - 7:53and we let algorithms take over.
-
7:53 - 7:56(Speaks Spanish)
-
8:09 - 8:13But a cartoon is born
from a space of deep, nuanced thinking. -
8:13 - 8:16Creating a good cartoon
involves repeated failures, -
8:16 - 8:18draft after draft.
-
8:18 - 8:20And a cartoonist must shed
their own taboos -
8:20 - 8:23to spark a conversation,
rather than a confrontation, -
8:23 - 8:25through their work.
-
8:25 - 8:29(Speaks Spanish)
-
8:43 - 8:46In the year 2013, President Chavez died,
-
8:46 - 8:49and I had to think about what to draw
as the cartoon of the day -
8:49 - 8:50at "El Universal."
-
8:50 - 8:53I was personally happy
that he had passed away, -
8:53 - 8:55because I thought
that the end of his power -
8:55 - 8:58would potentially bring our country
closer to freedom and better times. -
8:58 - 9:02(Speaks Spanish)
-
9:08 - 9:11But there were many other people
who were mourning the death of Chavez, -
9:11 - 9:14so there was a divided
sentiment in Venezuela. -
9:14 - 9:15Some were celebrating,
-
9:15 - 9:18and others were crying
at the loss of their leader. -
9:18 - 9:21(Speaks Spanish)
-
9:33 - 9:35I felt stuck,
-
9:35 - 9:37I really didn't know what to draw
in this historic moment. -
9:37 - 9:41And I knew that I couldn't allow
my happiness to seep into my work, -
9:41 - 9:44that I should take the higher road
and respect people's grief. -
9:44 - 9:46So what could I draw?
-
9:46 - 9:49(Speaks Spanish)
-
10:03 - 10:06I spent many hours drafting
and throwing out papers. -
10:06 - 10:08My editor called me and said
-
10:08 - 10:10everything was late
for that day's newspaper -
10:10 - 10:12and asked me when I'd be done.
-
10:12 - 10:15It was in the middle of the night
that the idea came to me. -
10:15 - 10:16And we then published a cartoon
-
10:16 - 10:20that represented
a historical moment in time. -
10:20 - 10:23(Speaks Spanish)
-
10:23 - 10:26A fallen king chess piece in red.
-
10:27 - 10:30(Speaks Spanish)
-
10:39 - 10:41A good cartoon has a lot of power.
-
10:41 - 10:44It can generate action and reaction.
-
10:44 - 10:47That's why a cartoonist must
exercise their power responsibly, -
10:47 - 10:49showcasing the truth
-
10:49 - 10:52and drawing without
the fear of consequences. -
10:52 - 10:56(Speaks Spanish)
-
10:56 - 10:58Having an opinion has a cost,
-
10:58 - 11:01and in some countries, that cost is high.
-
11:01 - 11:04(Speaks Spanish)
-
11:18 - 11:19In Venezuela,
-
11:19 - 11:22many young people have been killed
for protesting peacefully. -
11:22 - 11:24There are men and women
who are stuck behind bars -
11:24 - 11:26as political prisoners.
-
11:26 - 11:27So over the years,
-
11:27 - 11:29I've drawn the faces of imprisoned women,
-
11:29 - 11:33because I don't want them
to be forgotten by the community. -
11:33 - 11:36(Speaks Spanish)
-
11:55 - 11:58This year at an event
called El Foro Penal, -
11:58 - 11:59which is a criminal forum
-
11:59 - 12:01where a group of lawyers do pro bono work
-
12:01 - 12:03for Venezuelan political prisoners,
-
12:03 - 12:06a young woman approached me and she said,
-
12:06 - 12:07"I was imprisoned,
-
12:07 - 12:10and then you drew my face and my story.
-
12:10 - 12:13It's because of that drawing
that people knew who I was. -
12:13 - 12:16Your cartoon helped me survive
my days in prison. -
12:16 - 12:17Thank you."
-
12:17 - 12:20(Speaks Spanish)
-
12:24 - 12:26This was a moment that meant a lot to me,
-
12:26 - 12:28because I had found a way to collaborate
-
12:28 - 12:30with the memories
of my country and its people. -
12:30 - 12:33(Speaks Spanish)
-
12:50 - 12:53Last year, I started making
drawings about immigration. -
12:53 - 12:56I drew my own world, my fears,
-
12:56 - 12:58my suitcase, my roots
-
12:58 - 13:02and everything that I had
to leave behind in Venezuela. -
13:02 - 13:05I also drew my joy
in the face of this new opportunity -
13:05 - 13:07as an immigrant in the United States.
-
13:07 - 13:10(Speaks Spanish)
-
13:14 - 13:16From there, I worked
on a series of drawings -
13:16 - 13:19that represented the experience
and psychology of immigration. -
13:19 - 13:22(Speaks Spanish)
-
13:33 - 13:36Being an immigrant
is like moving to another planet. -
13:36 - 13:40At first, you don't understand
anything about your new world. -
13:40 - 13:42There are new codes, a new language
-
13:42 - 13:45and unfamiliar tools
you need to learn how to use -
13:45 - 13:47in order to adapt to your new life.
-
13:47 - 13:50(Speaks Spanish)
-
13:53 - 13:56Being an immigrant is the closest thing
to being an astronaut -
13:56 - 13:58who landed on the moon.
-
13:58 - 14:00(Speaks Spanish)
-
14:14 - 14:17Over time, that series of drawings
became a traveling exhibition, -
14:17 - 14:19called "I, Immigrant."
-
14:19 - 14:21And the exhibition traveled
to multiple cities, -
14:21 - 14:24including Miami, Houston,
Madrid, Barcelona, -
14:24 - 14:26and we're hoping for more places.
-
14:26 - 14:29(Speaks Spanish)
-
14:34 - 14:37The show has become
a meeting space for the diaspora, -
14:37 - 14:41for people to gather and recognize
their shared experiences of suffering -
14:41 - 14:43that come with immigration.
-
14:43 - 14:46(Speaks Spanish)
-
15:03 - 15:05What I want these drawings to convey
-
15:05 - 15:07is that an immigrant is not a criminal.
-
15:07 - 15:10An immigrant is a person
whose life has been broken. -
15:10 - 15:13A person who has very likely
been separated from their family -
15:13 - 15:15under inhumane conditions.
-
15:15 - 15:19Who has been forced to leave their country
in search of a better life. -
15:19 - 15:22(Speaks Spanish)
-
15:32 - 15:34A drawing can be a synthesis of a place,
-
15:34 - 15:37a universe, a country or a society.
-
15:37 - 15:40It can also represent
the inner workings of someone's mind. -
15:40 - 15:44For me, drawing cartoons
is a form of resistance. -
15:44 - 15:47(Speaks Spanish)
-
15:58 - 16:00A cartoon is like a Rosetta stone.
-
16:00 - 16:02If we throw it into outer space,
-
16:02 - 16:04a future alien would be
able to know with certainty -
16:04 - 16:06that in the past,
-
16:06 - 16:09we once had a civilized world
with free thinking. -
16:09 - 16:12(Speaks Spanish)
-
16:16 - 16:19That one wall that my mother gave me
the freedom to draw on feels infinite. -
16:19 - 16:22And it's for that reason
that I am still drawing. -
16:22 - 16:24Thank you very much.
-
16:24 - 16:30(Cheers and applause)
- Title:
- Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them
- Speaker:
- Rayma Suprani
- Description:
-
"A political cartoon is a barometer of freedom," says Rayma Suprani, who was exiled from her native Venezuela for publishing work critical of the government. "That's why dictators hate cartoonists." In a talk illustrated with highlights from a career spent railing against totalitarianism, Suprani explores how cartoons hold a mirror to society and reveal hidden truths -- and discusses why she keeps drawing even when it comes at a high personal cost. (In Spanish with consecutive English translation)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 16:42
Erin Gregory commented on English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them |
Erin Gregory
8:49 - 8:50
at "La Universal."
-->
at "El Universal."