Zunar (Zulkiflee Sm Anwar Ulhaque) is a Malaysian political cartoonist who has been repeatedly targeted by authorities on account of his work. His personal slogan is, “How Can I be Neutral, Even My Pen Has a Stand”. His aims are to expose corruption, abuse of power and human rights violations in Malaysia through his art. Zunar is currently facing 9 charges under the archaic Sedition Act 1948 for comments he tweeted in relation to the political persecution and conviction of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in February this year. If found guilty he faces 43 years imprisonment. He is due to stand trial on the 6th of November 2015.
On the eve of his trial, Zunar is coming to the UK to launch a special exhibition of his work at the Cartoonists Museum. There will also be a variety of events ranging from a discussion on freedom through artivism to a pop up protest in Hyde Park. Please find links and details to these events below.
29 October Amnesty International’s Write for Rights event. Draw your own cartoon with tips from Zunar
31 October Cartoon-O-Phobia: Freedom Through Artivism at SOAS University as part of the SEA ArtsFest 2015
1 November Pop Up Cartoon Protest in Hyde Park
You can watch Monsoons Book Club’s short interview with Zunar on our YouTube channel here.
