Our ‘Raise Fingers for Myanmar’ exhibition was recently shown at Saint-Just-le-Martel cartoon festival in France. This was coordinated by PCO Overseas committee member The Surreal McCoy.
Cartoonist Rights Network International (CRNI) Executive Director and PCO Member Terry Anderson kindly sent photos of the displays.
The exhibition poster
Procartoonists Chairperson Clive Goddard wrote the following on the campaign for the festival:
‘In today’s troubled world the latest horrific event to hit the headlines tends to dominate the media’s focus, overshadowing many other conflicts and abuses around the world. Myanmar is just one example.
In February 2021 a military coup took place in Myanmar sparking wide scale protests, armed resistance and mass killings. Since then almost a million people have been displaced either within their own country or having been forced to flee abroad. The country is still suffering a humanitarian crisis, violence and a rapid rise in poverty.
Cartoons by © Terry Anderson, Jeremy Banx and Rupert Besley.
Among many positive responses was the Raise Three Fingers campaign, founded by artists and creatives in Myanmar to bring the global art community together and highlight the unfolding human rights and humanitarian crises
Cartoons by © Sarah Boyce, Steve right, Chris Burke, Dave Brown and Andy Davey.
The UK’s Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO) is proud to be involved with the ‘Raise Three Fingers’ for Myanmar campaign. Members have been drawing many variations on the three fingers salute which is a symbol of protest in the region (originating from the television series ‘The Hunger Games’) and donating artwork to be sold for the cause. We also ran a ‘draw three fingers’ workshop and created an instant gallery at a campaign fundraiser in London.
Cartoons by © The Surreal McCoy, Luke Warm, Kipper Williams & Zunar.
Cartoons by © Pete Dredge, Clive Goddard, Jonesy and Glenn Marshall.
Cartoons by © Langon, Nick Newman, Royston Robertson, Zoom Rockman and Roger Penwill.
The ‘Raise Three Fingers For Myanmar’ exhibition is a collection of three finger selfies drawn by PCO members in solidarity with our colleagues from the Myanmar Cartoonists’ Association and includes work from Waiyan Taunggyi and Lagoon Eain, two Myanmar cartoonists currently living in exile.
Cartoons by © Martin Rowson, Pete Songi, Waiyan Taunggyi, Mike Stokoe and Guy Venables.
The PCO hopes that the ‘Raise Three Fingers’ exhibition will help keep Myanmar from being pushed from the public’s consciousness.’
Congratulations to Terry too as he was recognised at the festival by the Salon de la Caricature du Dessin de Presse et d’Humour for his work in the defence of cartoonists’ rights around the world.