The Cross : In the second volume of Istanbul Worried Newspaperyour drawn autobiography (1), you say that after the attack against Charlie Hebdoyou felt the need to show your solidarity and that of the Turkish humorous magazine that you founded, Sleepless (Insomniac), with the French newspaper. You have been clearly identified by those in power as an enemy. How did you experience this period?
Ersin Karabulut: We have simply chosen the side of humanity. At the time, our newspaper was important, with a circulation of 90,000 copies. We had to react. But I had no idea of the violence of the reactions that this would provoke. The second I changed our magazine’s Facebook profile photo to a black banner, we received comments justifying the attacks! Then, we were the target of death threats when we published, with two other magazines, one on which was inscribed “I am Charlie”.
This was one of the turning points in the history of the Turkish satirical press: these threats weakened our motivation to produce political caricatures. Is it really worth it? The question then arises for you, especially when you receive a message from an Internet user armed with an AK47 threatening you to be next… But we were also discouraged by those who call themselves progressive, but whose tolerance finds quickly reaches its limits. In Türkiye, some people judged that journalists and cartoonists Charlie Hebdo deserved it!
Ten years later, has your publication survived this crisis?
E. S. : The weekly that I co-founded and directed, Sleepless, became a monthly, after a temporary stoppage due to sharply declining sales. The satirical press is doing badly because of political and social pressures. Sleepless continues to publish political pages, but I no longer collaborate with the magazine. I concentrate on my comics, which I do not publish in Türkiye. Some publishing houses were interested, but their lawyers feared it would cause political turmoil. In this case, you can be sued, beaten in the street, or even thrown in prison…
Under these conditions, does caricature still have a place in Türkiye?
E. S. : Many feel that the caricature does not help to move things forward. No one wants to draw Erdogan anymore, or see caricatures of him, because nothing changes. He has been in power for twenty-three years: he has destroyed the Turkish Constitution and democracy, the economy is in a disastrous state, most of the media are won over to his cause… Except during electoral periods, no one anymore does not talk about politics and everyone wallows in a form of resignation and numbness.
Like the American writer Kurt Vonnegut, I think that artists are like canaries in a coal mine: they are the first to die if a toxic gas is released. We did our best to sing, to tell the Turkish people that they are breathing poisonous air. We didn’t make it, so we’re leaving. Many are leaving the country, like my colleagues, who went to Germany, and me to France. I see my country as Krypto, Superman’s home planet, from where his parents sent him to Earth before it was destroyed…
What is the situation of the independent press in Türkiye?
E. S. : There is an opposition press, but it seems to me that it has become a business like any other. It is easy to sell anti-Erdogan information in the country because more than half of the population hates him. The debate is so polarized that there is no room for an independent press to criticize one side or the other.
The caricature does not always have good press, including in France, especially when it addresses religious subjects and is seen online, outside its context of publication. Do you notice it?
E. S. : This is also the case in Türkiye, where Internet users react badly to drawings they see on social networks, even though they are not meant to be seen by everyone. It’s not just a question of context, but also of language and culture. It’s easy to feel provoked by something you don’t understand, even though it’s not necessarily meant for you.
Recently, Charlie Hebdo launched an international caricature competition on the theme “#LaughDeGod”, to denounce “the influence of all religions” on society. What do you think?
E. S. : I am divided. Ideally, everything should be drawable. If you want to draw God, do it! If that offends people, so be it! They don’t have to buy it. But there is also the real world. If everything can be drawn, does everything deserve to be? Even if I am not a believer, I come from a Muslim culture and I may have biases, but it does not seem necessary to me to draw God to make fun of him. If the caricature only provokes without making people think, without opening doors, I don’t see much point in it, as a reader. In my opinion, humor is at its best when it is constructive rather than just destructive.
(1) Dargaud, 2022, 152 p., 23,95 €.
