El observador

Political cartoonist fights repression in Ecuador

By CHARLES A. MASON cmason@bgdailynews.com | Posted 2 days ago

Bonil, a political cartoonist in Ecuador who has criticized Ecuador President Rafael Correa’s policies, said humor is the most civilized expression of disagreement.

Bonil, whose name is Xavier Bonilla, could be sent to prison for his political cartoons as Correa continues a campaign to silence him. The president has strengthened and consolidated the powers of the communications arm of the nation’s Latin American government in recent years.

Bonilla, 50, spoke Tuesday at Western Kentucky University as part of the “Tracing the Unexplored: An Ecuadorian Tapestry” series at Gary Ransdell Hall. Bonilla will also speak at 7 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble Booksellers as part of the WKU Libraries Faraway Places series.

Bonilla, from Quito, has worked as a political cartoonist for about two decades and spoke through an interpreter. He told the students how Ecuador continues to crack down on free expression. His cartoons make visual statements with few words.

One cartoon portrayed Correa’s communications department as a fire hydrant that spewed “propaganda.”

Another cartoon that flashed on the two video screens in the auditorium showed a statue of a general on a leaping horse poised on a pedestal, while directly behind it, the horse’s excrement was sitting on an identical pedestal.

The cartoonist has the support of the Cartoonists Rights Network International, and Bonilla recently was in Washington, D.C., to detail his struggle.

He believes what he is doing is important. He said Correa’s proposal to make the communications department a public service is contrary to how communication should be “a service to the people.” 

Bonilla said he prefers to make people smile at his drawings. Ironically, the pen name he chose, Bonil, is actually the name of a drug that has side effects which include skin irritations, he said.

“That explains why some politicians have reacted so negatively to my cartoons,” Bonilla said through the interpreter.

Correa has taken to criticizing the cartoonist on his television program. A newspaper, Universio, that published one of Bonil cartoons was fined $93,000 by the Ecuadorian government. Correa’s administration has referred to Bonil as an “ink assassin.”

Asked how he thought the potential of his punishment might play out, Bonilla replied through the interpreter, “To mention, the future is optimistic.”

Erin Waggoner, a freshman biology major from Louisville, said Bonilla’s talk enlightened her about the rights abuses.

“His safety is of concern,” Waggoner said. “He’s creating leadership for the people.”

The event was sponsored by the WKU School of Journalism & Broadcasting; Honors College; History, Gender & Women’s Studies; Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility; Geography & Geology, Sociology, Political Sciences, Folk Studies & Anthropology; University Libraries; Kentucky Institute for International Studies; Modern Languages; and the Office of International Programs.

— Follow education reporter Charles A. Mason on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnschools or visitbgdailynews.com.