Cartoonist reports cancellation of international exhibition, contends he is victim of a conspiracy.
Our attention has been drawn to the cancellation of the inaugural Salon international de la caricature, du dessin de presse et d’humour d’Oran, Algeria which had been set to take place in May.
The organizer, cartoonist Nour El Yakine Ferhaoui was forced to change plans and rather than have a physical show put on a “Salon virtuelle” in co-operation with Le Matin newspaper.
In an interview with the Algerian edition of Le Matin Ferhaoui names his guarantors as Kouider Bouziane, the current Director of Culture of the city of Oran and Boucif Belhachemi, the regional director of the National Office of Copyright and Neighboring Law of Oran (ONDA) before the entire project was “derailed”.
Further he accuses an unnamed Algerian cartoonist closely associated with FIBDA (the International Comics Festival of Algiers) of harrassment and making statements to the effect that he “sabotaged” the event in Oran. Ferhaoui tells us he has been rendered “persona non grata” in Algeria.
CRNI’s regional representative in Canada, cartoonist Guy “Bado” Badeaux covered the Salon on his blog earlier this year. Ferhaoui had attracted participation from dozens of cartoonists in twelve nations as well as across Algeria and made arrangement for visas for six foreign visitors during his event.
Professional jealousy comes with the territory in the creative sector but the suggestion that cartoonists would stymie each others’ endeavours in a country like Algeria where colleagues have been actively silenced by the authorities on more than one occasion is especially troubling.
Ferhaoui will attend the 37th Salon international de la caricature, du dessin de presse et d’humour in Saint-Just-le-Martel, France later this year and provide a fuller account of the incident at the annual meeting of France-Cartoons.
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