Monday, August 21, 2006  
Marc Pageau Interview

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/21/2006 05:27:00 AM



Canadian Entrant in Iranian Holocaust Cartoon Contest

by B.Munn
August 21, 2006

"It is in the Human nature to defy authority."


When the cartoons published by Denmark's Jyllands-Posten were republished with some additions in an Egyptian newspaper and publicized by a few religious leaders in the Islamic world, the resulting protests and violence became world news. Partly as a response to the controversy (and partly because Iran's Prime Minister disputes the fact of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed), the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri, and later the website irancartoon and Iran's Palestine Museum of Contemporary Art, announced a contest for cartoons discussing the Holocaust. An exhibition of some of the cartoons runs until September 13 and the winner will receive $12,000.

As Sequential reported last week, the only Canadian cartoonist selected to compete (and, as far as we can determine, the only one who entered) is Marc Pageau, a Quebec cartoonist, illustrator, writer, and editor. Pageau answered a few questions by email about his involvement in the contest. Sequential would like to thank him for his time and candour in answering (and also for asking and answering some additional questions himself, explaining his postions in more detail).

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibit featuring the cartoons in Tehran, we asked Pageau why he entered the contest.

"Are you kidding me? Last February, the news reported the world Danish cartoons controversy on the depiction of Mohammed the Prophet for weeks, each single day! Have you ever seen that in the past? Never! It's history for the cartooning field! And this international contest was organized as an answer to this cartoon controversy! A great and extraordinary opportunity!

"I wanted to be part of it for sure! And I sincerely thought a lot of Canadian cartoonists would enter it. You can't imagine how surprised I was to realize, seeing the list of participants at the end of last May, that I am the lone Canadian to participate! Even some United-staters enter it!!!
Why not Canadians? What's wrong? Negative prejudices?"

On the subject of free speech, Pageau is equally enthusiastic:

"It was stipulated that this contest was organized to test the Freedom of Speech of the Western world, wasn't it? So, I think that for a cartoonist, that is fantastic!

"And, as I strongly believe in Freedom of Speech, why not give it a chance, even in a country that seems not really democratic and ruled, as everyone knows, by an authoritative religion such as Islam? It is the
ultimate challenge!

"More: it would give me a chance to test for myself Freedom of Speech here, in Canada and in the United States! How will the knowledge of my participation be received by fellow cartoonists, journalists, average individuals and friends? It will be interesting to follow the reactions!"

Although the contest caused a few ripples around the world when it was first announced, including satirical responses from Art Spiegleman and others, the revelation of the participants in May and the recent opening of the exhibit has generated relatively little criticism.

Pageau is unperturbed by potential criticism of his participation. Despite the fact that creating controversial cartoons is something of a risky endeavour, he is also fairly blase.

"Some will say I am stupid, because Iran is the #1 enemy of the United States! Come on! Since the beginning of the Iraq war, everybody is the enemy of the United States, even Canada! You don't believe me? Try a Google search with the word "Canuckistan"!

"Even the Pretzels are the enemies of the U.S.A., for menacing the life of the President Bush years ago!"

And on the subject of that controversy over the Danish cartoons?

"It's obvious that this is just another good example of mass manipulation! The Muslim fundamentalists have learned it very well from the U.S. administration! I mean, just watch the chronology of the events:

1. these cartoons were first published in September 2005 in Denmark with almost no reactions from the Muslim World;
2. they were published later, in October of the same year, in an Egyptian newspaper with, again, almost no reactions from the Muslim world;
3. last February: the explosion (well orchestrated by the Imans!);
4. and a little later, the same month, we learned that there were some false cartoons very insulting for Muhammed the Prophet included with the 12 original ones published in Denmark!!!

"When I studied Fine Art at Laval University, in Art History I learned that Islam doesn't permit [artists] to picture the human body, but nobody told me that it is completely forbidden to draw Muhammed the Prophet or Allah for everybody in the world, Muslim or not! What is that? I can realize a caricature of God, Jesus, Yahweh, Buddha, Raël but not Allah or Muhammed?...

"Come on! After all, it is only a little drawing! It is not a crime! In what way is it illegal? I don't kill anybody...

"Drawing a cartoon criticizing Muhammed is attacking and insulting Islam? What about Jesus, my God, considered in the Quran for centuries as only a little prophet lost in the multitude of other prophets? Isn't it insulting for all the Christians?

"And I bet easily that a lot of people in the world drew at home much more silly cartoons of Muhammed than before in History since last February's events! It is in the Human nature to defy authority...

"I was very shocked when the Canadian and United-stater newspapers refused in block to reprint these very inoffensive cartoons. A great gain for the so-beloved Freedom of Speech of the western world, really! They showed there a lot of courage compared to the U.S. soldiers who died trying to implement Democracy in Iraq! Or simply, maybe they are less idiotic!!!Welcome to the Mighty America, land of the Freedom of Expression!

About his cartoon:

"I sent 4 cartoons to the contest [out of a possible 5].

"When I draw a cartoon, the principal subject is often (if not always) human stupidity. That is what I want to criticize and mock, not the people (exception made of the politicians and the soldiers!). And believe me, fighting stupidity is an endless war...

"Am I naive? No! I am only cynical to the death since the beginning of the Iraq war and I am totally fascinated by the stupidity of humankind...

"When people get angry at me for a cartoon, I'm sure that is because they recognize their own stupidity in it and they don't like it! And when they are angry enough to [notify me], the most often message is insults and personal attacks, always done anonymously! They usually don't have the balls to sign it with their true name... How courageous!

"I like controversy and very dark humour! The editorial cartoonist I admire the most is Jean-Marc Reiser, one of the founder of Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo, two French satiric/subversive magazines (totally politically incorrect) [published] in the 60s and the 70s. This guy is a Master!

"Of course, controversy is not very popularI am sure I won't win this contest (or anyone else) with this attitude!"

Finally, Sequential asked Pageau what he hopes people in Canada and around
the world will take away from viewing his cartoons:

"I don't expect anything at all! I think that the negative prejudices that I suppose the majority of Western people have towards the Muslim World will surely bias their point of view on the contest and they won't even take a look at the cartoons!

"I guess most of them imagine that all the participants are dirty evil-doers so they won't give a damn...

"It seems that it is almost criminal these days in America to express publicly sincere opinions about the forever war in the Middle-East... And they dare to call their country LAND OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!

"Please, let me laugh (out loud)!!!"

From the point-of-view of his potential detractors then, is this contest anti-Semitic?

"That doesn't make sense for me!

"If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the Foreign Policy of the United States, I am anti-American. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of Foreign Politic of Israel, I am anti-Semitic. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the Islam, I am anti-Muslim. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the actual Government of Canada, I am anti-Canadian. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the actual Government of Québec, I am anti-Québécois.

"And if I draw a cartoon who shows a dog, I am anti-animal. If I draw a cartoon who shows a stone, I am anti-mineral. If I draw a cartoon who shows a tree, I am anti-vegetable. Where would the anti-everything stop? Can I draw something without being insulting? If not, I believe that our beautiful Western Democracy is totally sick...

"If I am forced to be anti-something, then I am anti-stupidity!

"I've been insulted so many times for my cartoons on the awful Iraq war, even by some U.S. Marines and U.S. soldiers who are fighting in Iraq for Democracy and Freedom of Speech!! As you know, I am totally fascinated by Stupidity!

"And more, take a look at [this article] (Jews and Arabs share genes, Stanford research scientist says). So, anti-Semitic, a cartoon contest organized by Arabs? They seem to be Semites themselves.

"And what about this Cartoon contest organized by an Israeli Jew himself: ISRAELI ANTI-SEMITIC CARTOONS CONTEST. Would you call him anti-Semitic?"


Marc Pageau's Blog

Labels:

   
         - Stumble It!  - Leave a comment!| 0comments  -  - we honor OpenID - 

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Hi, welcome to the blog! If you want to let us know about an event or share PR, write us at Sequential@Spiltink.Org.

For discussion of posts, corrections or relevant links to the story feel free to fire away and post here! We love hearing from you guys. cheers! :)

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home






Archive by Region
Alberta - British Columbia - Calgary - Gatineau - Halifax - Moncton - Montreal - New Brunswick - Newfoundland - Nova Scotia - Ontario - PEI - Quebec - Saskatchewan - Saskatoon - Toronto - Vancouver - Victoria - Winnipeg -

Archive by Month
August 2002 - September 2002 - October 2002 - November 2002 - December 2002 - January 2003 - February 2003 - March 2003 - April 2003 - May 2003 - June 2003 - July 2003 - August 2003 - September 2003 - October 2003 - November 2003 - December 2003 - January 2004 - February 2004 - March 2004 - April 2004 - May 2004 - June 2004 - July 2004 - August 2004 - September 2004 - October 2004 - November 2004 - December 2004 - January 2005 - February 2005 - March 2005 - April 2005 - May 2005 - June 2005 - July 2005 - August 2005 - September 2005 - October 2005 - November 2005 - December 2005 - January 2006 - February 2006 - March 2006 - April 2006 - May 2006 - June 2006 - July 2006 - August 2006 - September 2006 - October 2006 - November 2006 - December 2006 - January 2007 - February 2007 - March 2007 - April 2007 - May 2007 - June 2007 - July 2007 - August 2007 - September 2007 - October 2007 - November 2007 - December 2007 - January 2008 - February 2008 - March 2008 - April 2008 - May 2008 - June 2008 - July 2008 - August 2008 - September 2008 - October 2008 - November 2008 - December 2008 - January 2009 - February 2009 - March 2009 - April 2009 - May 2009 - June 2009 - July 2009 - August 2009 - September 2009 - October 2009 - November 2009 - December 2009 - January 2010 - February 2010 - March 2010 -