Resistance to Autocracy and Media Censorship: A Political and Poetical Reading of Cartoons

Abstract

Cartoons are the unique genre of art and the key ingredients of modern journalism. With use of bold and expressive lines, exaggerated image and symbols, allegorical indicationand deft illustration theyprovide pleasure anddelight to its observersandalso deliver hard-hitting, poignant socio-political and cultural messages often through laugh-out-loud humour and blistering satire which are comprehensible even to those who can not read thus performing a function of self-expression unmatched by the verbal communication. Political cartoons, usually called the cartoons of ideas and opinions take serious issues of public concern and work as an intellectual arm so as to protest the opponents and make sharp commentary on the government and public personalities. Martin Luther used political cartoons as visual propaganda during Protestant Reformation and defeated the Catholic opponents. Nepalese political cartoons attacked and resisted king Gyanendra's autocratic regime and the censorship imposed by his government more powerfully than the newspaper articles, editorials and critical writings. Since the cartoonists were the acute observers, they traced out the then reality in a very skillful touch of humour and satire thereby strongly advocating in favour of democracy and press freedom.