Cartooning in Benghazi

My Friend and Middle East correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Jason Koutsikas sent me these cartoons from Libya. Some have  been painted on walls and the large works on paper are being exhibited on the Benghazi corniche near the courthouse building where the uprising began on February 17. He sent translations with some of them, the others need no translation

 

 Libya kicks out Gaddafi.The map of Libya is in the colours of the original flag adopted when it gained independence in 1951. The flag was replaced after Gaddafi took power in 1969 with a plain green flag. If you look closely at his right shoulder you can see the star of David. There is a widely held perception in Libya that Gaddafi  is the son of Jewish parents and is a secret ally of The State of Israel.

 

 The 42 on the boot heel is the number of years that he has been in power 

Gaddafi says: “If I leave Libya, I take everything with me”. The red script identifies the man kneeling as a member of the February 17 Youth.

“You Next”  In the rubbish bin are Hosni Mubarak and written across the arse of the other guy in the rubbish bin is "Ben Ali", the former President of Tunis, Zinedine Ben Ali.

 

On the rubbish bin is written: Trash. 

 

  The map of Libya crushes Gaddafi. Written on the map in blue: Libya Free, Libya Together. In the speech bubble, Gaddafi is saying something like: “You, Libyan people, I am not dead. I am stone”.  

  Gaddafi points to an African mercenary: Go get ‘em.

 

Gaddafi and his son, Saif al-Islam, who was his designated successor. On each of the bullets is a reference to various things that have upset the people. For example, Libya’s war with Chad, his neglect of health and education, political prisoners who have been martyred.

 

  

Check-mate.  

Gaddafi cries and bangs his fists against the date February 17 2011, the day the uprising began.

 

 

 

Standing next to Gaddafi is the “nurse” that was referred to in the Wikileaks cables as taking special care of the colonel. With his right hand, Gaddafi is trying to block the satellite dish. He is looking at the satellite which is identified as belonging to NileTV, which is Egyptian State Television. The caption across the top effectively says: You will not tell Libya what is happening in Egypt.  

 

 My thanks to Jason for the considerable effort he went to in photographing and translating these works.