Many of my cartoons are not a belly laugh. I go for nostalgia, the lump in the throat, the tear in the eye, the tug in the heart.
– Bil Keane, American cartoonist
It is said that laughter is the best form of medicine.
Watching cartoon movies, reading cartoon books or strips, and editorial cartoons are ways to lighten up your day.
I read somewhere that reading newspaper cartoon strips first thing in the morning and having a good chuckle makes you live longer.
There is no hard and fast rule regarding what is classified as a cartoon. It is generally a type of visual art typically drawn or animated in an unrealistic or semi-realistic art form.
The specific meaning of cartoons has evolved over time. The modern form of cartoon usually refers to an image or series of images used for satire, caricature, or humour; or for motion pictures that rely on an arrangement of illustrations for their animation.
My first memory of exposure to cartoons as a kid was the illustrated books by Dr Seuss bought for me by my father (Theodor Seuss Geisel). He was an American children’s author and cartoonist well known for his work, writing and illustrating more than 60 books.
The Cat in the Hat was the first one I read. I credit Dr Seuss for triggering my interest and passion for reading. Other early favourites later were The Beano and The Dandy.
Another favourite was the classic Chinese cartoon many of us grew up with referred to as ‘Lao Fu Ze’. The characters were Old Master Q, Big Potato, Mr Chin, Miss Chan and Mr Chiu.
These cartoon strip’ stories were easy to engage with as they were not heavy with dialogue. Therefore, it was easy for non-Chinese readers.
While growing up, many others Cartoons have been memorable. We have all been entertained by the Looney Tunes cartoons such as Mickey Mouse.
On the homegrown front, we still have our iconic Malaysian cartoonist, Lat (Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid). As teenagers, some of us share his cartoons, the most memorable being The Kampung Boy and Scenes of Malaysian Life.
Re-reading some of his cartoons during the MCO enabled me to understand that his works have deeper meaning other than just the humour. He can show the ordinary person’s plight in an ironic manner with a desire to see reform or change of society’s flaws without any form of bias.
While comics predominantly focus on humour, they also reflect changing social and political trends. Comics sometimes feature problems in life, such as poverty, political shenanigans, societal problems, contemporary issues and the decline of ethical or moral values in modern-day society, albeit with satirical humour.
Societal and political cartoons have taken on an increasing role in expressing points of view by some cartoonists.
One such political cartoonist is Zunar (Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque). His first work goes back to 1973 and attracted readers’ attention due to their sceptical and political nature. Unfortunately, the attention of the authorities was attracted as well.
This led to his detention, and after his release, he focused even more on political cartoons, producing several books touching on reforms.
In 2010 his book “1 Funny Malaysia”, about political issues in Malaysia, was banned. In the same year, Zunar was arrested by the police and charged with sedition and jailed for one day.
In 2016, he was again arrested and detained for three days without charge. He was later charged under the Sedition Act 1948 for political images he had posted online on Twitter and with a potential penalty of up to 43 years in prison. He had five of his books banned on the grounds that their contents were “detrimental to public order”.
Subsequently, in May 2016, he became the recipient of the Cartooning for Peace award in Geneva.
Another well-known Malaysian cartoonist is a political graphic designer, street artist and documentary filmmaker with 22 years of publications under his belt, Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin. He is better known under his social media handle Fahmi Reza @kuasasiswa and his tagline ‘satire is not a crime’.
He has also faced much pressure from the authorities and many investigations under various laws for his political cartoon statements.
As seen, cartoons can sometimes be no laughing matter, especially for those advocating a transparent, open society with democratic values.
Political cartoons do play a role in our society. The ability of a political cartoonist to capture the essence of a social or political issue in one depiction is to be admired.
A statement made via a cartoon image can have a profound impact. There is no need to read an entire article or column, for that matter, to understand an opinion or some burning contemporary issue. This may be why some cartoonists are feared by some in power who have a thin skin or issues to hide.
However, on the whole, cartoons do lighten up our day. We should not take ourselves too seriously all the time.
Have a good laugh a day, and keep the blues away.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
