Interview with the Cartoonist Amorim / Brazil

The carioca (Brazil) cartoonist Carlos Alberto da Costa Amorim
has participated several humor contests and exhibitions world wide,
passing places such as France, Belgium, Italy and Turkey,
 where he had the chance to show his work and receive global prestige.
Amorim is a web designer, writer, and had his work shown also in Brazil.
 In 1997 participated as a Jury member of the III Biennial
of International Cartoon Exhibition (Tehran-Iran).
In 2004 participated as a Jury member (by Internet)
of the Obeid Zakani International Cartoon Contest (Tabriz-Iran).
In 2004 and 2007 he was invited to participated in
the Rencontre Internationale du Dessin de Presse (Carquefou-France).
Nowadays he publishes his editorials cartoons, caricatures
 and comics strips in many brazilian newspapers and magazines.
The list of skills goes on, and certainly among his qualifications
 it pops up his participation as a jury on International Cartoon Contest in Gaza.



Brazilcartoon: With the contest’s theme “Death in Gaza,
Palestinian are dying, help-us!” the role of the jury in
the winner’s decision becomes harder?
 Which are the criteria that you use to choose a work as a good social critic?

Amorim: I believe that the propose theme has been no difficulty
 for none of the judges. Basically it is the prime matter that
 humor drawers work every day: violence and all kinds of abuse.
 Through language that we use – Humor-
we try to pass to the reader beyond the facts,
 beyond the news. About the criteria that I used,
 I tried to not let go by partialities and propaganda,
 because the fact is that people are dying.
The only criteria should always be humor
(and author’s objectivity to send the message)
and showed artistic capacity.


Brazilcartoon: Political and social issues may be dealed with humor,
as a way to work along with the situation and make critics.
How the cartoonist can deal with these themes without becoming partial?

Amorim: Making humor is always dealing with social and political issues.
 There’s no other type of humor. It may be done something
 different and call it humor, as I can call an Orange “banana”.
Everyone knows that It is an orange,
but the one how chooses may swallow a banana.
For the manner of being impartial, I believe it goes
through learning process. You publish a comical cartoon
about a given subject and realize, years later,
 that it became out dated, lacking another focus.
There’s no way, you need to see where you
were wrong and try to make it right next time.



Brazilcartoon: You teach cartoon and caricature since 1994.
 As a known cartoonist in your area,
what can you say that the experience of working
 side by side to the other jury can be held as a learning?

Amorim: It’s the thing of the other focus,
the other point of view. When you meet foreign cartoonists,
 you also meet other backgrounds and cultures.
Something may be funny here in Brazil and go unnoticed out there.
 You may race the venture of be laughing alone and the guys looking at you suspicious.



Brazilcartoon: Do you have contact with the other jury?
Tell us a little about your opinion on their work.

Amorim: I know the work of all of them, excellent by the way.
 Internet stuff. But even with the cultural diversity,
 it’s all in the same level, cause all of them have experience
of decades in the profession, all of them harden in expositions.
It’s almost common-sense, if there’s anything like it,
when the subject is humor drawing.


Cinara Dreide
Journalist
Brazilcartoon’s Assistent of Communication
info@brazilcartoon.com