A Dead Rat...
A May, 2011 study done by the American Journal of Health estimates that nearly two million women have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo. United Nations officials have called DRC the epicenter of rape as a weapon of war.
Shoot to Kill
A South African policeman shot and killed a three year old boy in November, 2009. He said it was “in self defense...” Namate explained that there has been an outcry at the growing number of civilian casualties ever since the Zuma government announced a “shoot-to-kill” policy towards criminals.
State Media vs. Private Media
In Zimbabwe, constitutional reforms ensure freedom of press. However most Zimbabwean independent journalists are either heavily self-censored or operate online outside of the country.
The Puppets
Mugabe said Tsvangirai [the leader of Zimbabwe's democratic opposition party] is a puppet of the UK and US. This cartoon doesn’t contradict Mugabe, but represents how China has taken over the economy in Zimbabwe.
One Afternoon in Southern Somalia
This cartoon is a dig at the African Union which insists, “African solutions to African problems.” “It's all hot air, of course,” Namate says.
The Pianist
Namate satirizes the fact that the Zimbabwean government sees country’s white population as the enemy. He added that as he spoke with Sampsonia Way, white farmers were being chased off of their farms, despite the fact that Zimbabwe's economy is based in agriculture.
Tony Namate recently published a book of his cartoons, The Emperor’s New Clods: Political Cartoons from Zimbabwe, which the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists’ Kevin Kallaugher says, “punctures the pomposity of the powerful on behalf of the poor and the powerless.”
Courtesy of Tony Namate
A picture on Namate’s Facebook page, taken in 1999, shows him at his Daily News desk drawing a cartoon. In April 2000 a homemade bomb was thrown at the paper’s office, and in 2001 a series of bombs were planted in the building, blowing up the printing press. In 2003 the paper, known for its critical views on President Robert Mugabe, was denied a permit and subsequently shut down. Namate now draws for the online periodical New Zimbabwe and also addresses the problems of other African countries.
VJ Movement’s website says of Namate, “His work is often open to different interpretations—an ambiguity he says not only protects him but also reflects the complicated politics of his country. He trusts in his readers’ capabilities to distill his message.”
Read an interview with Tony Namate and other persecuted cartoonists in Sampsonia Way.
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