Egypt's cartoonists ease tensions as elections kick off
Despite the government intensifying its crackdown on dissent and the media ahead of the presidential elections, a handful of Egyptian cartoonists defiantly continue to lampoon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inevitable victory.
Egyptians began heading to the polls today to cast their vote in presidential elections that critics have described as "farcical." President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is running against a little-known contender who had earlier endorsed Sisi's candidacy for a second term. In the weeks leading up to the poll, the authorities have intensified their crackdown on dissent, using all means in their power to intimidate and silence critics.
In this climate of fear and intimidation, many voices have fallen silent — except several defiant Egyptian cartoonists who continue to push the envelope, criticizing the government's abuse of power and challenging censorship despite the risks.
"The state of laughter is alive and well in Egypt. One only has to look at the terrifically droll cartoons about Sisi's imminent and inevitable re-election to see that," said Jonathan Guyer, a fellow at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, who has been closely following the work of cartoonists in the Middle East since the Arab Spring.
Describing Egypt's cartooning landscape as "rich" and "diverse," he told Al-Monitor by email, “Egyptian cartoonists express their ingenuity as satirists by finding ways to skewer authority in the face of severe risks."
