(Fwd) Zapiro censored by sensitive yankees

["Patrick Bond" <pbond@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Mail and Guardian, 3 June 2003 (full cartoons at http://www.mg.co.za)
Zapiro censored


      Aneshree Naidoo | Johannesburg

      03 June 2003 12:08


Three cartoons commenting on American foreign policy have been hastily
removed from an exhibition by South African cartoonist Zapiro, after a
delegation of Americans complained.

Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) had been commissioned by the Centre for Conflict
Resolution to produce the 56-piece exhibition for, among others, members of
the Washington-based Faith and Politics Institute.

When members of the Institute viewed the exhibition they complained and
wanted the whole exhibition pulled down.

Shapiro slammed the removal of the cartoons as "outright censorship" and
slammed the conference organisers for allowing a "McCarthyite close-minded
attitude".

"The action of the delegation is representative of the way some American
politicians feel they have the right to determine what the public sees."

"I have a gripe with the centre because they fought against the process, but
then acceded to it."

"I have never had this happen before. I was not given the chance to defend
my work."

The centre's facilitator Alison Lazarus said consultation with Shapiro had
been difficult, because, "the conference had already begun".

Shapiro said he would have preferred the exhibition to have been cancelled,
as its integrity had been compromised.

Lazarus said the Americans had first requested "quite animatedly" that the
entire exhibition be taken down. She said the centre was "very
uncomfortable" with this request, and compromised by removing three cartoons
that lampooned American foreign policy.

Lazarus said the exhibition was intended to foster both intellectual and
emotional debate and felt that even though the images had been removed, the
blank spaces they left still fostered discussion.

The conference was attended by members of the US congress and South African
Parliament, and members of civil society -- with much criticism being
levelled at the US delegation for their country's current foreign policies.

Lazarus said she felt that this hard-hitting criticism added to the US
delegation's request, who possibly felt the need to appear patriotic in the
face of constant criticism. She added that the delegation had been told that
the conference was not a public relations exercise, and to expect to be
exposed to negative sentiments from South African delegates.