The international press cartoon prize “Kofi Annan Courage in cartooning award” was awarded on Friday in Geneva to cartoonist Zunzi (Hong Kong) and his colleague Rachita Taneja (India). At the same time, an exhibition of press cartoons was inaugurated on Quai Wilson in the presence of Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2003.
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These events were organized by the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, chaired by Swiss cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, and the City of Geneva, as part of World Press Freedom Day. The “Kofi Annan Courage in cartooning award” is awarded every two years.
Cartoonist Zunzi, born in 1955 in Hong Kong, began his career as a political cartoonist in 1983 at the Ming Pao newspaper. He never hesitated to deal with sensitive subjects in his illustrations. An audacity that will not be to the taste of the authorities. In May 2023, the newspaper for which Zunzi worked ended the collaboration.
Rachita Taneja, the other winner of the prize, is an Indian artist who comments on politics and social events in the form of a comic strip. Its skinny characters talk about themes ranging from harassment to menstruation, from homophobia to democracy.
The designer finds herself today with a sword of Damocles hanging over her head. In December 2020, a complaint for contempt of the Supreme Court was filed against him by a member of the student wing of the ruling party. The prosecutor initiated proceedings. If found guilty, Rachita Taneja faces prison.
Furthermore, the exhibition of press cartoons “Drawings for Liberty”, which is held throughout the month of May on Quai Wilson, addresses three current topics this year: women’s rights, contemporary wars in the Middle East. -East, in Ukraine and Sudan, and artificial intelligence.
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