Havana, June 14 (EFE).- The first Biennial of Political Humor in Havana started this Friday with caricatures of former US President Donald Trump, the current Argentine president, Javier Milei, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. .
The event began with an opening ceremony in a gallery, with dozens of works, in the central Havana neighborhood of Vedado and in which posters critical of the leaders, as well as against the European Union and NATO, stood out.
At the event that began the event, which will take place until June 28, the Minister of Culture of Cuba, Alpidio Alonso Grau, was present.
The biennial will host 46 artists from 22 countries. The theme that will be developed will be the Fight against neo-fascism and will feature political caricaturists (cartoonists) from countries such as Mexico, Venezuela and France.
The event, organized by the National Council of Plastic Arts and the Ministry of Culture, will feature graphic exhibitions, discussions, workshops and film screenings in cinemas in the capital.
According to the organizers, the event seeks to “explore in a playful way the impact of globalization and the phenomena associated with it, from a perspective of political humor.”
Boundaries
Cuba has been repeatedly criticized by NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for generally limiting freedom of expression and, in particular, its enjoyment on the internet (decree 370) and by its artists (decree 349).
In May 2022, the Cuban Parliament also approved a new Penal Code that, among other issues, includes sanctions of up to three years for those who insult senior public officials.
On June 5, Cuba published its first Social Communication Law in the Official Gazette, which prohibits, among other things, the dissemination of information that could “destabilize the socialist State” both in the media and in “cyberspace.”
EFE asked at the presentation of the biennial, on June 5, about the possibility of making political satire of the Cuban Government or the leaders of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC, the only legal one) within the island, as happens in other countries. countries of the region with their respective authorities or political leaders.
In this regard, Arístides Hernández, 2020 National Humor Award winner and part of the committee that selected the works exhibited at the event, assured at the press conference that “there are always limits to humor,” regardless of “each of the spaces where express itself.”
“In Islamic countries it is impossible to paint a caricature against the prophet Muhammad, (and) in the case of Cuba there are limits to the humor in relation to the historical figures of the revolution, that type of satire does not appear in the media here. and in the case of Spain, with the kings…”, he argued.
(c) EFE Agency
