29 Mar 2024
Sputnik - On Monday, July 3 the International Cartoon and Caricature Contest is set to kick off in Tehran. This year US President Trump will be the major focus of cartoonists from all over the world, who will be competing to satirize his most infamous quips and remarks. Sputnik discussed the contest with Seyed Massoud Shojaie Tabatabaie, curator of the show.


558 cartoonists from75 countries have already submitted work satirizing Donald Trump and his most famous remarks. 1614 cartoons and caricatures have been selected, with168 pieces fromIran, withsignificant contributions fromBrazil, Argentina, Uruguay and other countries ofthe Latin America, aswell asfrom China, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, the Middle and Far East, Turkey, Europe and Russia.


The works have been divided intosix subgroups afterTrump's most famous remarks: Trump and Racism, Trump and Immigration, Trump and the Mexican Wall, Trump and Mass Media (Reporters), Trump and the Humiliation ofWomen, Trump and Twitter.

Starting fromMonday, they are going tobe ondisplay inIran. The contest has been organized bythe Foundation forthe Preservation and Publication ofSacred Defense Works and Values, and Tehran Municipalitys Beautification Organization.

Sputnik Persian sat downwith Seyed Massoud Shojaie Tabatabaie, the curator ofthe exhibition, totalk aboutthe event.
"Trump forus is a certain phenomenon inthe world politics, who has had an impact onthe global developments. We decided tochoose his personality asa symbol ofthe US' capitalist regime. And we decided tomake it the main narrative ofthe cartoon and caricature contest asthe ideas promoted byDonald Trump are comic, ludicrous and very close tothe genre ofcartoons," he told Sputnik.


"For example, when he talks aboutthe wall betweenthe US and Mexico, it sounds very stupid and reckless when he also demands that Mexico pays forit. The same can be said abouthis relations withthe mass media and his sexism towardswomen," he added.


The expert further mentioned that some have compared Trump's behavior withthat ofAdolf Hitler, noting that inherently, the ideas which have been proposed byTrump, are reminiscent ofthe Hitlers ideology. For example, his ideas ofthe superiority ofthe US overother countries asa great power, or aboutsuperiority ofone nation overanother, "this is Nazism and racism," he said.

The expert said that the organizers have set prizes forthe winners ineach nomination, offering $500 forthird prize, $1,000 forsecond while the winner will get $1,500. The international jury, who will judge this years event, is comprised ofwinners fromprevious competitions: Luc Descheemaeker fromNorway and Silvano Mello fromBrazil, aswell asIranian cartoonists Mohammadreza Doustmohammadi, Habibollah Sadeghi and Mahmoud Azadnia.

It was not an easy task toselect works forthe competition, he said, adding that each category will contain 10 pieces.

One ofthe key additions is that the organizers have made agreements witha number ofcountries, including Panama, Columbia, Belgium, The

Netherlands, Morocco, Syria and Indonesia, toopen their own Trumpism exhibitions onthe very same day. In addition, there will be an online broadcast ofthe competition inIran. The works will be then exhibited inthe aforementioned countries.

The expert said that there are ongoing negotiations withRussia's well-known cartoonist and animated cartoon artist Sergei Tunin, ona display tobe held inRussia. Tunin has participated innumerous cartoon competitions inIran asan honorary member ofthe jury.
Interestingly enough, four professional cartoonists fromthe US will also participate inthe contest. The largest number ofcartoons however came fromBrazil where 55 cartoonists entered the competition, the expert said.


Tabatabaie also noted that the contest isnt just aboutbringing people together who have the same ideas, butis also aboutdiscovering and revealing the true nature ofDonald Trump himself.
"Caricature is a peculiar language ofan artistic satire, withoutwords and prose, which is able tounite people ofvarious nationalities. Humor is similar toa sweet delight which is able tounveil a lie which is being hidden," he told Sputnik.


The organizers are using cartoons and caricatures asa weapon toreveal the real personality ofthe new US president. Trump, he said, is a symbol ofan American totalitarianism, who considers himself a ruler ofthe world. That is why the exhibition is very important asit helps the public tounderstand who the real face ofPresident Trump, he finally stated.
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