Interview with Eduardo Baptistao
A member of Jury Panel in The 8^th
 Tehran Cartoon International Biennial
By Brazil Cartoon

Brazilcartoon: It is a great responsibility to be a juror, especially representing Brazil. How did you feel when you got the invitation?

Baptistão: Exactly like that, with a huge responsibility.
And also, my stomach was in nuts. My reaction was to question
my own competence and assume my limitations concerning to the language, since I don’t speak English. Besides that, my homey
soul is not attached only to my country but also to my neighborhood, my house. I don’t like adventures, but it is not a reusable
invitation and it is an honor that is greater than anything else.

Brazilcartoon: You have participated in an exhibition in
Iran and got a prize with the Benigni’s caricature. What is the sensation of being judged and judge?

Baptistão: It was in this competition, two years ago.
It was a great surprise, the first prize I won out of Brazil(the 7th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial-2005).
As a juror in humor contests, I have only two participations,
both in Pernambuco. Judging made me understand better
that a work wins a competition because of details, which
depend on the preference of jurors of that competition
and it is always a subjective criterion.
This year’s Pernambuco Festival of Humor and Comic Strips,
made more confident concerning to my capacity of evaluation.
 Above all, it is necessary to have sense. And the languages of drawing and humor are universal, therefore what I will find there is not so different from what we see in the international exhibitions in Brazil.

Brazilcartoon: Besides knowing the culture and the Iranian drawings, what will you bring to Brazil?

Baptistão: New friendships and especially a great and valuable experience, which will be useful for all my life.

Brazilcartoon: Tell us a little about your career as a caricaturist.

Baptistão: I have been drawing since I was a child and I have
worked as an illustrator since 1985, when I published my
first drawing. I have always liked to draw people,
but caricature i only learned how to do when I started working for “Estadão”, in 1991. I got inspiration in the works of my workmates; Carlinhos Muller, Marcelo Pinto and Paulo Caruso.
After a lot of training, I met my way of drawing and
 I realized that it was what I always wanted to do
but I did not know it. The Brazilian competitions
were very stimulating for my work and they made known.
Recently, the Internet, boosted the publicizing of my works.

Brazilcartoon: In your opinion, what is a name that is a reference in the field of caricature?

Baptistão: Names like the Caruso brothers, Benício, Ziraldo, Trimano, besides Carlinhos and Marcelo were very important as a reference
 in the beginning of my career and I am always learning from many other mates.

Brazilcartoon: For you, how do people see humor drawings abroad?

Baptistão: The world takes the humor drawings seriously. There are important and representative exhibitions spread all over the over and it is interesting to note how strong graphic humor is in countries that we do not much about their culture like the ones in the middle East and in the Eastern Europe. It is still a powerful weapon against totalitary regimes, social, racial and economic inequality. And the Brazilian graphic humor is present and respected abroad.

Brazilcartoon: What is your concept about Brazilcartoon?

Baptistão: Brazilcartoons performs an important rule on gathering the production of graphic humor in Brazil, so great and diversified as Brazil itself, and on showing it in a clear and organized way. Also, it updates Brazilians about the humor produced all over the world. Although it is new, the website is a Brazilian and international reference. A generous initiative of the friend Márcio Leite, who is one of our great cartoonists.