Can there be a better way to start the day than with a smile? Before the age of the Internet and easy access to a host of jokes 24/7, it was newspapers that served a portion of cartoons every day. There is a Chinese saying that a picture is worth a thousand words and though newspaper circulation in the world has been dwindling, there is no sign cartoons may be dying out. Proof of this is the immense interest in the Balkan Festival of Smiles – a forum that aims to showcase the sense of humour of the nations in the region.

Here is Yulian Stankulov, creative director of the Imeon Balkans foundation, organizer of the festival, to tell us how the idea for this exhibition came about:

“The first Summer Festival of Smiles took place last year. This year’s is a Balkan event and the idea is to show what makes people in the Balkans laugh. Thirty authors from nine Balkan countries are taking part. The exhibition features more than 120 works. And the best thing is that anything can be the butt of a cartoon – it gives people the freedom to express their thoughts and to show the truth with a smile. My own, personal favourite is the cartoon we use for the poster by Ivaylo Tsvetkov – seeing as Bulgaria is the host country of the festival, we are presenting it with a work by a Bulgarian cartoonist. It is important to note that despite what happened in France, cartoonists have lost none of their courage – they continue to present the truth.”

The exposition highlights the problems of our day and the idiosyncrasies of the Balkan character in a way as to bring a smile to the face of visitors – from the granny shown as handing refugees a hoe in her village garden to the politician whose mouth is stuck shut by a 500 euro note.

Describing the events of yesterday in a serious, yet witty vein without giving offence is a rare talent. With their sharp wits and even sharper pencils, cartoonists draw a time-line of events in our part of the world in a way that is unique. Alexander Bozhinov (1878-1968), one of Bulgaria’s patriarchs in the sphere of cartoons upholds the thesis that:

“Cartoons must above all else be art, works of art. And as such, they should not be vulgar or offensive. I do not condone blood. If there is a cartoon of mine in which I have depicted an event when blood was spilt, that does not mean I have something against the place, it means I am against the method, the actions.”

English version: Milena Daynova