For more than 25 years we follow the AYDIN DOGAN contest. Our opinion is that this event always was an example
for a good professional level and pluralism, without involving politics and dirt. It was a huge shock for us to see that this year first (!)
prize was awarded to cheap, worthless conjuncture political cartoon.
We are really disappointed and we think that the 2010-jury’s decision was very bad. It is very sad that anti-Israel politics of the Turkish government
penetrates into the field of professional ethics.
It seems that the organisers of the contest have decided to decline the principles of pluralism and tolerance… We call to all honest cartoonists to decline this shameful decision.
Israeli cartoonists
Boris ERENBURG Sergey SICHENKO
Gennady LITINSKY
(Israilli karikatürcüler, bu yýl düzenlenen 27. Aydin Dogan
Uluslararasi Karikatür Yarismasi sonucunu büyük bir hayal kirikligi olarak karsilamislar.
Dünyanin en genis katilimli ve profesyonel düzeydeki yarismalardan biri olarak
gördükleri "Aydin Dogan"da birincilik ödülü kazanan karikatürün
Türkiye’nin anti-israil politikasini yansittigini düsünüyorlar ve
jurinin bu kararini protesto ediyorlar.)
***
Dear Boris and the other Israeli colleagues.
I read your statement as an unfortunate reaction.
After reading your statement, I thought to share with you the
following quotation by Edward Said, a Palestine living in US, deceasedlately,
”the Man who finds his country sweet is only a raw beginner;
the man for whom each country is as his own is already strong;
but only the man for whom the whole world is as a foreign country is perfect’
Even if I understand well where you stand, I believe you were
expecting wrong about most of the participants of Aydin Dogans
cartoonists should NOT be politically involved, since they can create
to many cartoons for too many political issues around the world.
Notice that we do not find in their drawings only Middle east issues.
As a cartoonist we usually draw over our own borders and
nationalities. We always must have something in mind either to tell
something about or to make humor out of it. We like naturally to bite,
to make noise, to make uncomfortable and touch to wounds with our
pens. This is why we call cartoonists as cartoonist. Most of them
works with a pen in their hand to express on tabus. Sometimes it is
healthy to choose to be critical, instead of felling destroyed.
I have friends in Israel, who are against all kind of wars, including
the war in Palestine/Jerusalem. They stand something they belief too
and I share their humanity-approach. They don’t give up on people in
both sides and try to find a solution. They even take responsibility
of the war which goes on there.
This cartoon which is awarded and you are referring is nothing to the
with only beliefs, it does neither underestimating sacred weeping
wall. But it tells us today’s situation in Israel and the need of
military protection. Whatever it costs, military stands for to protect
people. The cartoon make us to think just about this. Is it OK to live
like this or not? That’s why for me the cartoon is very effective and
powerful work which works.
Of course you have right not to like a cartoon. But when you choose to
criticize it because it doesn’t fit you, and you make manipulation by
defining it as a cheap cartoon, you provide an unfortunate propaganda
which is nothing of being creative artist and we all have to learn to
be tolerant and give room to others to express themselves as they
please. Otherwise we all look alike.
The cartoonist was, as many of us are aware, dealing with the public
and militarism relation and I assume he was assuming the taboo would
be cracked. Some cartoonists are like that, even you accept or not,
they want to make some marks.
I sincerely do not get your arguments in order to consider to make
this a big case. Do you want us to be a cartoonist or political
side-holders? You have to accept that Turkish cartoonists have a
traditional up-to.the-point issues. This is the reason they collect to
many awards around the world.
Thank you for letting us your concerns. Your notices are registered,
and I hope you understand we see cartoon art and politic differently
than you see. And I guess it is Ok.
Best to you and your colleagues
Firuz Kutal
***
Sevgili Boris ve oteki Israilli meslektaslar,
Duyurunuzu talihsiz bir tepki seklinde algiladim.
Duyurunuzu okuduktan sonra, simdi vefat etmis, Amerika’da yasamis
Filistinli Edward Said’in su sozlerini dusundum:
”Sadece kendi ulkesinin en guzel oldugunu dusunen biri sadece cigdir.
Her ulkeyi kendi ulkesi gibi ise goren coktan guclu olandir;
ama sadece dunyanin her kosesini tek bir yabanci ulke olarak algilayan kisi mukemmeldir.”
Sizin nerede durdugunuzu iyice anlasam da, Aydin Dogan yarismasina
katilan karikaturculerinin cogunun siyaset disi kalmalarini beklemeniz
yanlis. Bir cok siyasi konuda cok fazla cizgi uretmis kisiler cogu.
Sadece Orta-Dogu uzerine de cizmiyorlar bildigim kadariyla.
Karikaturculer olarak genelde sinirlarimiz ve milli kimliklerimiz
uzerinde cizgi uretiriz. Kafalarimizda ya anlatacak ya da dalga
gecilecek bir konu vardir. Dogal olarak kalemlerimizle isirmayi,
gurultu cikartmayi, rahatsiz etmeyi ve cogu kez de yararlara dokunmayi
severiz. Bu yuzden karikaturculere karikaturcu diyoruz. Cogu
karikturcu tabu denilen seyler uzerine calisandir. Icten ice
yikilacaginiz yerde elestirel olmak sagliklidir cogu kez..
Israii’de yasayan Israil-Filistin savasina karsi olan yahudi
arkadaslarim var. Onlar da inandiklari bir sey icin durus
sergiliyorlar ve bence onlarin insani yaklasimlari, cozum arayan ve
bugune kadar o bolgede olanlardan sorumluluk diyan bir girisim.
Onlar suya-sabuna dokunuyor.
Odul alan ve sizin dikkatimizi cektiginiz karikatur calismasi ne
sadece inanci ne de aglama duvarinin kutsalligina dair bir sey
anlatiyor bence. Ama Israil’deki gunluk hayat uzerine ve askeri
korumaya ihtiyac bir yasam suruldugune dair ipuclari veriyor. Bu
yasamin geliri-gideri ne olursa olsun, ne kaybedilecekse kaybedilsin,
askerin insanini korumak icin islev gordugu sonucunu cikariyoruz.
kanimca gercek de zaten bu bugun oralarda. Sordugumuz, boyle yassamak
iyi mi, sorusudur. Tam da bu yuzden bu kariktur guclu, islevsel bir calismadir.
Bir karikaturden hoslanmama hakkina sahipsiniz elbette. Ancak sizin
kendi cikarimlarina uymadi diye bir karikaturu ucuzdu filan diye
tanimlamaya basladiginizda, talihsiz bir propaganda icine girmissiniz,
yaraticilik analizinden uzak bir sey oluyor. Oysa hepimiz bizim
meslekte hosgorulu olmayi, sanatcilara kendilerini istedikleri sekilde
ifade etmeleri icin sans vermemiz lazim, diyoruz.
Yoksa birbirine benzeyenler oluruz.
O karikaturu cizen, cogumuzun farkinda oldugu gibi, halk ve asker
arasindaki iliskiyi gozlerimiz onune seriyor ve zannerim ki, boyle
yaparak bir tabunun da yikilabilecegini umuyor. Bazi cizerler
boyledir, kabul edin ya da etmeyin, bir centik atmak isterler masaya, gorelim diye.
Bu olayi buyutmenizin arkasindaki duygulari gercekten anlayamiyorum.
Karikaturcu mu, siyaset insani mi olmamizi istiyorsunuz? Turk
Karikatur camiasi her zaman ”ne soyleyecekse soyleyen” bir cizgi
gelenegine sahiptir Turkiye’de. Bu yuzden cok sayida odul toplamislardir yillardir.
Kaygularinizi bize de duyurdugunuz icin tesekkur ederim. Uyarinizi
kaydettik ve umarim siz de karikatur sanatini ve siyaseti genelde
sizin dusundugunuzden farkli yorumladigimizi anlamissinizdir. Elbette
farkli dusunmeler guzeldir.
Size ve meslektaslariniza saygilar
Firuz Kutal
