Ten emerging political cartoonists from the UK and South Africa will showcase their work for the first time in this country at London’s Diorama Arts Centre from 24 November until 16 December 2005.

The TransAtlant-ink exhibition represents the culmination of the British Council’s Young Cartoonist Project, itself part of a programme celebrating ten years of democracy in South Africa. The Project gave competition winners the chance to hone their skills during an exciting two week exchange event. Mentored by leading cartoonists Steve Bell (The Guardian) and Jonathon Zapiro (Mail & Guardian South Africa, Sowetan, Sunday Times South Africa), the ten winners met with cartoonists, editors and politicians, before producing work satirising each other’s political culture. The Blair/Bush relationship, the Iraq War and the South African AIDS epidemic all feature prominently in the exhibition.

Of the exchange, programme mentor Steve Bell, whose work is included in the exhibition along with that of Zapiro, said, ‘what impressed me most, apart from the keenness of the ten winners and the quality of their work, was the way my professional colleagues opened themselves up for their guests. Michael Heath at The Spectator and David Austin at The Guardian, as wizened a pair of old cynics as it’s possible to imagine, were dewy-eyed idealists when they described what they did and how they did it’.

Venue

Diorama Arts Centre

34 Osnaburgh Street

London

NW1 3ND

24 November - 16 December 2005

A selection for work is also on show at the Royal Commonwealth Society, Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AP. For groups of 3 or more, please call the Commonwealth club on 020 7766 9200 to make an appointment.

For all press enquiries please contact Harriet Pearce Willis at the British Council press office on 020 7389 4125. For further information on the project, contact Anna Mears on 020 7389 3162.