American political cartoonist Daryl Cagle tells Gamal Nkrumah that you can teach an old fox new tricks Americans aren't really interested in what goes on in the world," Daryl Cagle, editor of The Best Political Cartoons of the Year ( 2009 edition), and one of the United States' most influential political cartoonists told Al-Ahram Weekly. He is the daily editorial cartoonist for MSNBC.com, America's and the world's most widely syndicated and reprinted newspaper cartoonist -- close to 900 newspapers subscribe to his cartoons. Cagle, on a visit to Cairo, extrapolated on the many-faceted dimensions of American cartoons. His shock tactics often ambush his people, the Americans. "They are essentially interested in puppies, kitties, celebrities," Cagle explains somewhat cynically. Arab admirers of cartoons, like their American counterparts, should be forewarned: no two works of Cagle's are alike. And, quite a few are published with intrinsic surprises. "Some see cartoons as a negative art form," Cagle notes. "I don't," he states categorically. Still, a first encounter with Cagle's cartoons can be a disconcerting experience. The California-based cartoonist was relaxed and attentive, eager to learn as much as possible from his brief visit to the region -- he had just visited Algeria prior to visiting Egypt. One of the most noticeable changes in the world of political cartoons in recent years, of course, has been the impact of increasingly sophisticated technology. Cagle was interested to see how this influenced developments in the Arab world as far as the political cartoon is concerned. We struck up a conversation, or at least he did. He spoke and I listened. One of his questions was, "How do you present political personalities, including the president, in political cartoons?" How do you represent George W Bush or US President Barack Obama for that matter, I countered. He showed me samples of both president and ex-president. Bush, steeped in American cowboy lore, waddling off into the sunset of the wild, wild west wrestling with Native braves. Everyone laughs at Bush, but the point is to understand how he got himself into such a mess. Needless to add, Obama was not necessarily portrayed in a positive light, but at least he came across as savvy. "It's still about two people with tremendous power, at least as long as they remained in office. It still throws the focus on to the political players," Cagle chuckles. And that for Cagle remains the political cartoonist's touchstone, no matter how complex the character in question that the cartoonist portrays. The continuing cult of leadership grips America. Given the American public's continuing obsession with solitary genius, reflected in our fascination not just with presidents but with quirky cartoonists like Cagle, it is no surprise that we do tend to downplay just how much creative work groups accomplish. Cagle is not just a loner, like many cartoonists. "I've drawn some cartoons where I have stuck my wife and children and myself in the cartoons," he said with a wink. Cagle not only labours on his own; he thrives on interaction with fellow cartoonists and to that end has created a Professional Cartoonist Index site that is frequented by three million regular users every month. It is by far the most popular cartoon site on the Internet and is a vital global forum for creative interaction. Can a cartoon pass itself off as art? The notion had symmetry for Cagle. His notion of art, however, is far from that of the great masters. Take his "How to draw an editorial". "Step one: pick anything Statue of Liberty, the Capitol, a typical American, trick-or-treaters. Step two: put a gas mask on it. Now you're a legitimate editorial cartoonist. Go out and collect the big bucks." Adding a commercial twist to the arts. One of the most poignant methods of connecting the public with politics is through cartoons. Ultra-nationalists and liberals, people across the whole spectrum of political and ideological orientation have used cartoons to further their causes and impose their viewpoints on the public at large. However, this being America, the land of the mighty dollar, making money is the overriding priority for the majority of cartoonists, but despite his reluctance to make any strong political statement, my impression was that he is no philistine. Treading a treacherous path through the post 11 September 2001 political maze has simultaneously opened up new challenges for cartoonists, including Cagle, to deal with tragedy in a humorous fashion. Some, but not Cagle, even drew rather tasteless parallels between Jesus and Osama bin Laden. At the same time, the new reality compels cartoonists to take on added responsibilities and a moral obligation to become harbingers of peace and understanding between nations. "Cartoonists definitely have this responsibility," asserts Cagle. But perhaps the nadir of public credulity came when the controversy surrounding Danish publication Jyllands-Posten 's portrayal of the Prophet Mohamed on 30 September 2005 hit the international headlines. Many Muslims around the world regarded the Jyllands-Posten cartoons as blasphemous and deeply offensive. These were chilling developments that unfolded in the aftermath of 9/11. Westerners were accused of insensitivity to Muslim sensibilities and of being Islamophobic. The Danish prime minister at the time Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the Jyllands-Posten controversy as Denmark's worst international crisis since World War II. Angry arsonists set fire to Danish embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. Protesters took to the streets of numerous Muslim capitals -- a new genre of political cartoons was created and it was identified as subversive. The cartoonist in the West suffers no moral obloquy because he or she is pronounced politically incorrect. "There is a moral rage, drama and righteousness that are both breezy and mortally serious," pontificated one of the editorials of the Baltimore Sun. It is unfair to berate those cartoons that the editorial cartoonist of the Universal Press Syndicate Ted Rall described as "too alternative for mainstream and too mainstream for the underground". The key, according to Cagle, is that there are two views of what a good cartoon is. The first is the professional view, the second is the public impression. Some cartoonists are inclined to believe that they have more influence over events than they do. Cagle does not share such an egoistic viewpoint. "Don't rely on cartoons for my take on any particular subject," he concedes. A witty and eye-catching cartoon may not be the handiwork of erudite scholarship, but it should have an elegant presentation. Illustrating issues both broad and nit-picking is a skillful art. However, it is an art that varies considerably from country to country and from one culture to another. "American cartoons don't translate too well around the world," Cagle observes. Perhaps because they intrinsically reflect US priorities, I pondered. "American cartoonists like to use words," Cagle explains. "I personally use as few words as I can." Pantomime cartoons carry no captions. Gag cartoons and panel cartoons, on the other hand, come complete with hand-lettered or typeset captions -- that tends to be favoured by Arab cartoonists, say. There are always exceptions to the rule. Cagle does not suggest that pantomime cartoons are necessarily cleverer than panel or gag cartoons. It is perhaps more interesting to categorise cartoons into old-school editorial cartoons and the new-school cartoons. "Whereas old-school editorial cartoons rely on timeworn traditions, topics and techniques, the new breed tackles contemporary concerns such as commercialism and environmentalism," the American Library Association's Booklists asserts. Even without words, "the best of the new-school cartoons possess so much lacerating wit and unswerving commitment that they fairly shame their hidebound mainstream counterparts into retirement," it concludes. Such evolution happens all the time, both in America and abroad as part of the role of cartoons the world over in social criticism. "These cartoonists are, generally, writers who use the medium to get across verbal puns or simple angry screeds, regardless of visual style or any other comics-based concerns," The Publishers Weekly derisively depicts the old-school panel and gag cartoonists. An element of deliberate obfuscation is always going to be necessary for tackling politically prickly cartoons. Individual cartoonists tackle such touchy issues in their own characteristic ways. Hegel's "world historical" individuals springs to mind. Cagle, for one, is a major influence as a political cartoonist, even though he is too unassuming to admit it openly. He might not be an intellectual, but he certainly has a knack for making the reader think. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed working with other cartoonists, and especially the young and upcoming talents, including his own daughter, Susie. "My daughter is interested in cartoons," he proudly announces. I check out her take on their trip to Israel. It is hilarious. Father and daughter obviously saw the Holy Land through radically different lenses -- neither of them rosy. For instance, when told that the Dead Sea was a goner, both father and daughter asked in unison, "So what would be so bad about the sea drying up anyway?" An Israeli huckster whined, "Oh, it would kill the chemical industry." He continued, "It's good for skin conditions like leprosy." Daryl shot back, "Oops, my finger fell off. Better go swim." Susie chimed in. "I sure wouldn't want this stuff getting into my fresh leprosy wounds." "The better cartoons are the simpler ones." This reflection on his life's work is an endearing characteristic. "I am lazy," he says lackadaisically. "I draw my own style at my own pace." Rich, coming from such a prolific political cartoonist.
