Saturday, 12 May 2012

Politics and the art of cartoonery

Clare and I spent much of yesterday wandering around Geneva town centre and browsing shops, eating lunch in the Manor top floor self service restaurant, an old haunt of ours. We started by walking down to the Quai Wilson enjoy the lakeside view. We discovered an outdoor art exhibition of international political cartoons stretching over two hundred metres of quay-side, the product of a competition run by a new international non-governmental organisation established in 2006 called 'Cartooning for Peace'.

A hundred cartoons from countries around the world, protesting against injustices of every kind are the best entries submitted in a competition held every two years. A very impressive witness to everyone who visits Geneva, whether to do business, take a holiday, or work for a UN agency or a humanitarian organisation. It's the kind of thing that Geneva does very well. How I'd love to see those cartoons displayed in Bute Park, Cardiff! Here's just a couple of them, displayed in context.
This observation applies equally to every religious fanatic who takes themselves too seriously. And this one speaks for itself about perceived inequalities in the realm of religious leadership.
When our energies began to fade, we headed back to Manel's for a cup of tea and a rest. Then I headed out again, this time on public transport to Meyrin, where old friend Michael Bell met me with his car and drove me to his home in Prevessin to meet up with his wife Barbara before going out for a very pleasant supper in a Chinese restaurant on the rte de Gex. I missed them last time we came over, so it was great to catch up on the past eighteen months. For all of us, time seems to fly past faster than ever, and there's always so much to share. Although the trams were still running when we decided to call it a night, they ferried me home to the doorstep, to prolong our conversation and fellowship as much as possible.
 

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