Eric Dixon
Moroccan Cartoonists unite to express themselves better
Moroccan Association of the cartoon (mac) was born. Its goal: to make known the culture of the cartoon and to fight for the freedom of expression and opinion.
It is in the city of Mohammedia Morocco, at the youth center of Ibn Khaldoun that the Moroccan Association of the cartoon (mac) was created on April 14, 2018, and chose, as president, the famous caricaturist, Naji benaji. The objective of this union is to make accessible to all Moroccans the culture of the cartoon, to advocate for freedom of expression and opinion to Moroccan cartoonists and to promote the sharing of experiences between professionals in this field.
“The idea does not date from today,” says Naji Benaji. “The initiative was to see the light of day already in 1994, with the first generation of Moroccan cartoonists, brilliant at the time, thanks to names like fire hammouda Mohamed Aliouate and Larbi Sabbane. But we could not create this union because several members wanted to benefit politically for the settling of accounts … “. But today, members of the new union have been able to make the difference. Rule of thumb: refrain from conveying hate messages in the drawings. The mac knows the accession of the famous cartoonist naji benaji president, farid ouidder vice president, derkaoui abdellah general secretary, jallal hajjir treasurer, wafae charaf, aissa wahbi, mhadi brahim, hicham chafik, hamid el moulki, aissa wahbi and nourdine houal , mohamed ajig and driss obella counselors.
the cartoon is the fastest journalistic genre but also the most difficult to convey a message. The president of the Mac confirms this: “The cartoon is a funny but artistic chronicle. We do not rely solely on the analysis of the info but also on its transmission in a direct but artistic way. One must master the drawing, the shadows, the colors and the traits specific to each personality. This is perhaps why in Morocco we have very few professional cartoonists … “. the cartoon is information that rarely goes unnoticed. “Caricature exaggeration is a way of conveying ideas without having to use specific language. It is universal and does not sink into the fuss. It enlarges the defects and defines itself as the language of the citizens vis-a-vis the State. That’s why she is the enemy number 1 of the latter … “, explains Naji Benaji.
If the cartoon had to be a challenge, it is that of changing mentalities as Naji benaji emphasizes: “The cartoon is made to abolish absolutism ..” Moreover, the word censorship has no place in the world cartoon, “says Naji, who talks about” a dishonest method “to become famous. “With the explosion of new technologies and the advent of social networks, I think nothing can be censored or hidden. Those who complain about censorship only want to make a passing name, “he says.
“The exaggeration in caricature is a way of transmitting ideas without having to use the specific language”.
Naji benaji Asked by a rabtoon the website of Arab cartoonists about the way in which cartoonists deal with the taboo subject, Naji reluctantly expresses the question: “Has a caricaturist ever been arrested for drawing a cartoon of the king? I do not think so. It depends on the idea that we will carry on him and the idea of the caricaturist on the current system of the country. the cartoon, the most ironic, must have certain limits. “Do not make fun of religious figures, let alone divinities. He concludes. We can be a caricaturist in Morocco, we can not make fun of everything. And it is, perhaps, so much the better.
Naji Benaji
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