Rayma Suprani(born 22 April 1969) is aVenezuelancartoonist. In 2014 she was dismissed by the newspaperEl Universalfor drawing a cartoon criticizing the late presidentHugo Chávez.While Chávez loyalists have had harsh words for her criticism of the regime, others have praised her for her “distinctive powers of observation” and “fine intelligence.”[1]She was forced to leave the country and now lives in exile inMiami, Florida[2]
Rayma Suprani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 22, 1969 |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Education | Central University of Venezuela |
| Occupation(s) | Cartoonist, activist |
| Website | raymasuprani |
The critic Alfonso Molina praised her work writing “the work of Rayma Suprani inEl Universalunites intelligence, sensitivity and talent to express our life as a country through very sharp vignettes that are not intended to make us laugh but to make us think. Journalist and cartoonist, she manages to communicate her ideas in a very personal way, but always with a collective sense.”[3]
Early life and education
editBorn inCaracas, Venezuela,[4]Suprani began painting as a teenager and trained for several years in the workshop of Pedro Centeno Vallenilla. When she took up cartooning, she gave up painting for a long time.[1]
She graduated with a degree in journalism from theCentral University of Venezuela.[4]
Career
editAt a very early age, she began to work for the journalEconomics Today.She has worked at various newspapers in Caracas such asEl Diaro Economica HoyandEl Diario de Caracas,[4]she later became the principal cartoonist atEl Universal.[1]Suprani wasEl Universal's chief cartoonist for 19 years where she often faced criticism from state media and government supporters regarding her satirical cartoons.[5]
Art exhibition
editIn 2012, having returned to large-format work, Suprani held her first solo exhibition, “Frente al espejo” (Facing the Mirror), at the Galería D’Museo del Centro de Arte Los Galpones de Los Dos Caminos.[1]A writer forEl Universalnoted that Suprani's canvases displayed “the same critical spirit that has characterized her drawings and cartoons from the beginning. Scathing, sometimes. Ironic, sometimes. Corrosive, almost always.”[6]“It is another Rayma Suprani,” wrote Alfonso Molina about the exhibition. The paintings, he maintained, represented “a demonstration of strength and courage that excited me, showed me another side of the same creator.”[3]
Other activities
editSuprani has also drawn magazine covers, and the best of her cartoons have been collected in books.[7]She is an active member of the Cartooning for Peace Organization.[2]She is one of several protagonists in the filmCaricaturists—Foot Soldiers of Democracy,by Stéphanie Valloatto.[8]
Dismissal
editAccording tothe Guardian,her last cartoon, published inEl Universalon September 17, 2014, “showed a normal-looking electrocardiogram under the heading 'Health', and below it the late former president Hugo Chávez's signature merging with a flatlining heartbeat under the words 'Health in Venezuela'.” The cartoon, wrotethe Guardian,“combined two nationally sensitive subjects: the legacy of Chávez, and the socialist government's management of the healthcare system.”[9]
The Guardiannoted that medical personnel had “long claimed the economic chaos engulfing the country has led to chronic shortages of drugs and medical supplies,” and further pointed out that since Chávez's death the previous year, “his signature, always printed in red, has become a symbol of loyalty to the leader....It has been stamped across buildings and can often be seen tattooed on the arms of his supporters.”[9]
Only hours after the publication of the cartoon, Suprani was fired. “My immediate Boss called me and told me he didn't like my caricature and I was out,” she said. “We've become a country where if you say things, have your own criteria and try to provoke reflection, it's not well viewed.”The Guardianstated thatEl Universalhad recently been sold to “a little-known Spanish company called Epalistica, which employees at the newspaper allege is a front for a pro-government group of investors,” and that since the sale, the paper had shifted from an anti-government stance to a more government-friendly stance, resulting in the dismissal or resignation of several columnists.[9]The newspaperEl Tiempoalso stated that since its change of ownership,El Universalhad become more pro-government. “The government has gone and bought the news media that it can't silence,” Suprani said in an interview onUnionradio,noting the government's previous acquisition ofGlobovisiónand of the newspapers that had formerly belonged toCadena Capriles.[10]
After the news of her dismissal was reported,Henrique Caprilesand other opposition figures responded to Suprani's dismissal by tweeting their respect for her.[10]Suprani herself wrote on Twitter that “we will carry on through other, smaller avenues but with endless creativity.”[9]
Suprani was scheduled to speak at theOslo Freedom Forumin May 2015 as well as the Freedom House organization on the subject of the defense of human rights.[4]
Personal life
editSuprani has three dogs, Lucy, Blue and Churchill, and a cat named Osho.[1]
References
edit
- ^abcdeMendoza, Alejandro Celedon."Rayma Suprani:" Digo todo lo que pienso "".Revista Etiqueta.Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2015.
- ^ab"Rayma Suprani".Oslo Freedom Forum.Retrieved19 April2024.
- ^ab"LA IRREVERENCIA DE CARLOS ZERPA".Noticiero Digital.Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2015.Retrieved12 May2015.
- ^abcd"RAYMA - Cartooning for Peace"(in French). 17 August 2015.Retrieved19 April2024.
- ^"Rayma Suprani | Duke Forum for Scholars and Publics".Duke FSP.Retrieved19 April2024.
- ^"Rayma Suprani le imprime ahora su humor al lienzo".El Universal.1 February 2012.
- ^Martinez, Belibert Ramirez (18 January 2014)."En Clave de Sir / Su habilidad para llegar a la gente los convirtió en marca".Guanipa Noticias.
- ^"Rayma Suprani".PEN America.26 April 2017.Retrieved19 April2024.
- ^abcd"Venezuelan cartoonist 'fired' over healthcare satire".The Guardian.18 September 2014.
- ^abMartiz, Valentina Lares (18 September 2014)."La caricatura por la que despidieron a Rayma de El Universal".El Tiempo.