On 20 May, the Department of Political Sciences hosted political satire cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, more commonly known by his pen name, Zapiro. The main purpose of this session was to discuss the evolution of satire in a South African context and what people make of the messages revealed to them through the use of satire.
Zapiro’s works are a reflection of the political timeframes in South Africa and beyond, confronting issues and highlighting messages through the use of metaphors and symbols. Many of these messages are often misinterpreted due to the rise of anti-intellectualism, and according to Zapiro, it can become challenging to get the message of a cartoon across. He said, “It affects a cartoonist’s working process when things are, at times, taken out of context.”
Zapiro explained his choice for the title of the event: “Beyond Satire – By Zapiro”. He used the example of the AI-generated video of “Trump Gaza” where a golden statue of Donald Trump is on display amid the Gaza ruins. This video was shared on social media by many, even by Trump himself. Satire in itself is grotesque because it often reflects reality, and its function is to ridicule people and systems. But when a public figure such as President Trump shares something like this on social media, Zapiro voices what we should all be thinking: “Where does that leave a satirist?”
Some of Zapiro’s cartoons such as “The GNU Dawn”, “Tax Spat”, and “Shakespearean” draw on The Lion King, Dr Seuss, and Macbeth respectively. These cartoons make reference to popular culture possibly in an attempt to connect with the youth of today. During the question session towards the end of the event, PDBY asked if the popular culture references in some of his works are a way to get the youth engaged with politics through cartoons. Zapiro responded by saying that the references are not primarily an attempt to connect with the youth even though they serve that purpose as well. His work is already used in schools as educational resources, so either way, his materials still reach the youth.
“Beyond Satire” showcased that cartoons are not only satirical, but often have reality concealed within them. However, it is these concealed truths that we should be fearful of.
