Cuban graphic Humor in San Francisco

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists held its convention from October 9 through the 12 in the city of San Francisco, California. It is common for American colleagues to meet annually in a different city to discuss topics related to this essential art in journalism.

For the first time Cuba was represented, with the participation of cartoonists who form the small team of Dedeté, humor supplement of Juventud Rebelde newspaper that this year in March celebrated its first 45 years of life.

Carlos Alejandro Falco Chang (Falco), Humberto Lazaro Miranda Ramirez (Laz) and Adan Iglesias Toledo (Adan) were those who made the small Cuban delegation.

In San Francisco over a hundred cartoonists from United States and guests from Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan, Netherlands and New Zealand met. The ones from the latter country, in a lecture by Gus D. Angelo showed their editorials folders and discussed such interesting topics as new technological frontiers of interactive cartoon.

Among the papers presented were "Experiencias investigativas del Museo del Humor de San Francisco" ("Research Experiences of Humor Museum in San Francisco") by Jenny Robb, and the entitled "Hollywood en casa" ("Hollywood at home") by Lalo Alcaraz, creator of Latin mood newspaper La Cucaracha.

"Otros amigos del Norte" ("Other friends of the North") was the name of the editorial panel of humor that is made in Canada. It was exciting to reconnect with colleagues in the nation with whom we shared in May this year when they performed in Havana their annual convention, a moment in which they visited the headquarters of Dedeté.

The paper "El arte de la caricatura" ("The art of cartoon") also attracted the attention, offered by the renowned cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher (Kal), who recalled his visit to Havana in 1999, while covering for a regular baseball game between Cuba and Orioles Baltimore.

Regardless of knowledge generated by the exchange of experiences among colleagues at such meetings, actions such as live drawing challenge raised expectations, especially because rivals were cartoonists from Cuba and the United States.

The action was to capture editorial topics in thirty seconds to measure agility of thought and stroke. The drafters of this newspaper confronted the colleagues Lalo Alcaraz, David Horsey and David Brown. Some of the topics represented were icons of American culture: terrorism, environmental pollution, Cuba viewed by United States and vice versa.

Furthermore, in the venue Memorial Theatre Marina, we had the chance to show the editorial work done in Juventud Rebelde and other Cuban publications.

To close the Satire Fest, participants headed to the Charles Schulz Museum and Foundation in Santa Rosa. There we were greeted by the friend Jeannie Schulz, director of the institution and promoter of Cuban trip to San Francisco. In the welcoming installation memories and works of the creator of Snoopy and Charlie Brown's family is shown. In October 1950 appeared in the American press the Peanuts, cartoon that recreates the adventures of the boy named Charlie, his pet and friends.

Then it was distributed in seven newspapers in the country, but its success was such that by 2000 more than 26 000 publications from 75 countries had distributed the strips. On February 13 of that year, Charles Schulz died of cancer. That day the last strip was published.

Precisely in the museum that promotes the creation of Cartoons and ensures the maintenance of the quality and fidelity of the Peanuts characters, which are sold worldwide, closed the Satire Fest with the conference "La caricatura editorial de hoy"("The editorial cartoon today"), given by the renowned artists Steven Benson, Tom Tomorrow, Jen Sorensen and Kevin Kallaugher (Kal).

Strong as the bridges of San Francisco, were the ties that were woven between the participating artists.

Schulz and Cubans

Jeannie Schulz, widow of the famous cartoonist Charles Schulz, was the person who built bridges between professionals of both countries.

In 2004 she visited the island for the first time and was impressed with the culture and idiosyncrasies of Cuba. Then she proposed to herself to organize a tour where she would invite Americans cartoonists and illustrators to share with their Cuban counterparts.

In January 2010 this sensitive and enterprising woman materialized her dream. Accompanied by a dozen prestigious professionals arrived in Havana. The group visited the editors of the humorous supplements Dedeté and Palante, the ICAIC Animation Studios and Muraleando community project in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton.

Almost five years after that meeting, Adam, Falco and Laz come to San Francisco. They come with the expectation to dialogue with their counterparts and discover details of the creative dynamics of this series that is still playing.