Understanding Political Cartoons

Understanding Political Cartoons

 Prestwick Rotary Club guest Ian McAnulla treated Rotarians to a great talk on understanding political cartoons. He used examples from around the world, and underlined the bravery that political cartoonists show when living under tyrannical regimes.

 One example is Naji al Ali who used the cartoon of a ten year old boy called Handala to expose the corruption and injustices of Palestine. Naji al Hali was so effective that he was assassinated in 1987, possibly by PLO agents. Political cartoons have been around since the reformation in times of Luther.

 More recent cartoon examples including Boris Johnson were unpicked, and the real secret to understanding such cartoons is to look for small items in the cartoon, within the political context.

 The talk raised a good debate, and Rotarian Andrew Mathieson gave a hearty vote of thanks to Ian McAnulla, who is shown to the left of Andrew in the photograph.