Cuban cartoonists from the Dedeté supplement of the Juventud Rebelde newspaper, and American colleagues will “face each other” today at the Marines’ Memorial theater in San Francisco, California, host institution of the annual convention of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC).
The event, in which Cuba participates as guest country, now reaches its second day of session. Around two in the afternoon local time, colleagues of both countries will draw live on international issues. The audience will choose the winning cartoon.
The current Dedeté cartoonists: Adán Iglesias Toledo (Adán), Carlos Alejandro Falco (Falcó) and Humberto Lázaro Miranda (Laz), arrived last Wednesday at San Francisco. They were invited by Mark Fiore, president of AAEC to participate in your event.
Adam Iglesias, director of Dedeté, told OnCuba that their participation in the Convention will contribute to their professional development, as American caricature school is very prestigious.
“They have a very particular line that distinguishes them from the rest of the artists of the continent; let´s not forget that it was in this country where the editorial cartoon was born, “he said.
In San Francisco about 100 American editorial cartoonists gather –including The New York Times reporters, Pulitzer Prizes and makers of the animated series The Simpsons.
On the first day of the event, which coincides with arrival to that city of the Satire Fest, Cubans were able to show the editorial work done in Juventud Rebelde. They briefly toured different times of Dedeté, since its founding on February 25, 1969 to the present.
On the reaction of the audience after presentation by the Cubans Lazaro Miranda (Laz) said: “It was very exciting to receive the applause of American editorial cartoonists and invited colleagues from Canada, the Philippines, Iran and Pakistan.”
Schulz and Cubans
Jeannie Schulz, widow of the famous cartoonist Charles Schulz, was the person who built bridges between practitioners of both countries.
In 2004 she visited the island for the first time and was impressed with the Cuban culture and idiosyncrasies. Then she proposed to organize a tour where she would invite American cartoonists and illustrators to share with their Cuban colleagues.
In January 2010, this sensitive and enterprising woman materialized her dream. Accompanied by a dozen prestigious professionals she arrived in Havana. The group visited the newsrooms of humorous supplements Dedeté and Palante, ICAIC Animation Studios and community project Muraleando in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton.
Almost five years after that meeting, Adam, Falco and Laz are in SanFrancisco. They come with the expectation of dialogue with their peers and discover details of the creative dynamics of the Simpsons series.
The Charles Schulz Museum, which opened in Santa Rosa in 2002, will be a necessary stop for them. There, in the site where people watch to maintain the quality and accuracy of Snoopy and Peanuts, Cubans will thank Jeannie for this opportunity.
