Abbas Naaseri / If, in your country or city, you are active as a cartoonist and a number of people or local officials know you, this does not mean that you, without expertise and proper background, should organize a festival and contribute to the disorder prevailing in such events.
When a cartoonist who lacks sufficient experience and knowledge in organizing festivals undertakes this task without consultation or collaboration, the outcome is exactly the problems we face today that damage both art and artists.
An unqualified secretary chooses the jury emotionally.
We have often said: being a cartoonist and being a juror are two entirely different sciences—an immense knowledge that requires constant updating, study, and monitoring. The fact that someone was once a good cartoonist does not justify them sitting on the jury of your festival today, when for years they have created no new works and remained distant from contemporary international trends.
Respecting veterans has its own importance, but in matters like this the situation is different. I firmly believe that any veteran who is to judge contemporary works must also be a follower of today’s cartoons. A veteran who has not updated themselves and is stuck in the past does not serve your purpose. In fact, sometimes such a juror even says: “Enough of judging—it doesn’t suit my age to check for similarities several times; the first glance and quick conclusions are enough.”
And you, lacking organizing expertise, end up forming weak juries in which even the presence of a strong member cannot change the outcome.
You fail to recognize similarities; you set regulations that you cannot enforce. When these similarities and rules are pointed out to you, you ignore some of them in order to keep your friends and fellow townsmen among the winners.
You—willingly or unwillingly—betray the art of cartoon, while taking commemorative photos for yourself and advancing your social standing in your city and country, without caring that the prestige of cartooning itself is being diminished. This is not new; in the past decade it has become common in many countries.
Just as wearing football shorts and taking a picture with them does not make someone Maradona, being a cartoonist does not automatically qualify you to manage an event.
It was not only confidence and courage that made René Higuita of Colombia’s national football team clear the ball with his famous “Scorpion Kick,” or Ahmadreza Abedzadeh in Iran’s national team catch high balls with one hand. They had expertise and experience in which they were fully assured.
Expertise, experience, infrastructure, knowledge, up-to-date, and fairness are essential qualities for a festival director—qualities we do not see in you.
Please, from now on, devote your time and energy to drawing cartoons, to your students who believe in you as a teacher, and to the officials in your city or country who honor you. Leave this field to those who are truly qualified and specialized.
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Weekly Single Page of Cartoonmag
No 58
Saturday , 04. Oct . 2025
This single page has been prepared to remind the news and calls published on the cartoon magazine website and it is supposed to be published every Saturday.
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