Published: March 5, 2025, 09:46 PM
Cartoons? They are fun, quirky, and well, full of lightweight humor. But imagine it as a tool of resistance, the power it can behold. Such was the case in the July Movement 2024 in Bangladesh. The pen, the brushes- Artists proved yet once again - the pen is mightier than the sword.
Rewind to the year 1971, and a poster of a vicious demon appears on the pages of a poster in the form of a cartoon in our collective memories - the Artist Kamrul Hasan’s work ‘Ei Jaowarder Hotya Korte Hobe’. This was the depiction of the Pakistani ruler Yahya Khan, and this piece of art worked as a beacon of hatred that was palpitating in the veins of the people of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan).
Throughout Bangladesh`s history, art—more especially, satirical and caricature cartoons—has played a vital role in both politics and revolution. Cartoons have always had the power to simplify and exaggerate complex issues in order to pique the interest of the general public, whether it is Kamrul Hasan`s 1971 depiction of Yahya Khan as a demon who calls for their annihilation or Shishir Bhattacharjee`s satirical works on the front pages of Prothom Alo throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. They have the ability to set the proper individuals off and draw attention to their behavior, something corrupt regimes don`t necessarily value.
Cartoons, stereotypical ‘children`s-only’ mediums, have long evolved from being something children would watch for entertainment to a diverse and complex art form that speaks volumes in its portrayals of current events. The delinquent use of humor, irony, and exaggeration, with the projected blend of reality for political commentary to critique political personalities, policies, social issues to even overthrowing regimes - have made cartoon one of the most lauded mediums of communicating through art.
Fast forward to the birth of Bangladesh, there have been many political artworks that have inspired and expressed a sense of collectivity among the mass people, one of the examples was the cartoon series by Kamrul Hasan of ‘Rajakar’s and Pakistani rulers.
The evidence of cartoons as a strong medium in expressing political commentary and setting narratives have been found in the works of many Bangladeshi artists from the 1952 Language movement to the 1990 anti-fascist movement. Simu Naser, journalist and political satirist, mentioned firmly the foundation of political cartoons in Bangladesh. He mentions Kazi Abul Kashem (Dopiyaza), the first Muslim cartoonist of the subcontinent, for his inspirational cartoon ‘Haraf Khedao’ (Naser, 2024). Kamrul Hasan also sketched the cartoon of the autocratic ruler Hussain Mahmud Ershad, with the comment “Desh aj bissho beheyar khoppore” ((The country is in the hands of a shameless person). Artist Rafiqun Nabi, known as Ronobi, used his character “Tokai” to comment on social disparities and politics for decades (Naser, 2024).
Making political cartoons has been suppressed, much like the practice of free and unrestricted journalism. Newspapers have avoided running cartoons that openly criticize the ruling party or its leaders, not just on front pages but on any page, out of fear of legal action and intimidation.
Cartoonists have feared the infamous Digital Security Act (DSA), which was rebranded as Cyber Security Act in 2023, still posing the threat of being sued for defamation or any other lawsuits.
The end of tyranny in Bangladesh after the historic revolution that started over a controversial and unfair job quota system, later escalated due to the government’s harsh response and killing of people was achieved on August 5, 2024, when the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, following murders of around 2000 people.
The events started to unfold after a controversial change in the job quota system that unfairly prioritized the FF (Freedom Fighter) quota by 30 percent. Later the protests for quota continued consistently till mid July. The protest escalated massively after July 14, over a demeaning remark by the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, calling the protesters ‘Rajakar’s children’ (The Daily Star, 2024). This ignited a fire of anger and rage among the students of the university of Dhaka, and they protested to it the same day with sarcastic slogans ‘Ami ke, Tumi ke, Rajakar, Rajakar; Ke Bolecche, ke bolecche, Shoirachar, Shoirachar” (Who am I, Who are you - War Criminals; Who says so - Fascist Governments.
The protests became intense after Chhatra League and other ruling party activists attacked quota protesters at Dhaka University on July 15. On July 16, at least six were killed in fierce clashes between protesting students and law enforcers joined by ruling party activists in Dhaka, Chattogram and Rangpur. This was followed by the complete shutdown by students and the attack on Private university students protesting from July 18.
The killings kept on increasing every day after that, with complete internet shutdown till July 24. The events of the students’ protest reached the mass audience after the killings and nationwide unrest peaked during the last days of July. Finally, on August 5, 2024, during the nationwide March to Dhaka, millions of people gathered in the streets, from all the corners of Bangladesh towards Dhaka, demanding the fall of the regime. Finally, Sheikh Hasina resigned in Ganabhaban and fled to Delhi.
Among the many forms of communication used in Social Media, Cartoons by various artists played an important role in this unification. A major role regarding this was observed by the Cartoon People Facebook Group which consists of most of Bangladesh’s regular cartoonists that has over 110 Thousand likes on Facebook and followed by over 95 thousand people. Cartoonists from this group and other creative groups started posting from their visual arts pages and personal ids as well. It is worth mentioning that this held the massive risk of getting arrested under the Cyber Security Act-2023. According to a report published by the Daily Star, during the 20-day student-led mass uprising, professional and amateur cartoonists alike produced at least 500 cartoons. Shared by millions on social media, these illustrations fueled an "artistic/cartoon revolution." (Shafique & Alom, 2024)
Now comes the many representations of cartoons as a major tool against tyranny during the movement. There have been a series of cartoons in the July Movement and Resistance that clearly pointed to the ‘Awami League-isation’ that have been occurring for 15 years since the 2008 election.
This narrative of Razakar Affiliators has been used by the AL government for almost all of the regime under Sheikh Hasina. During the July Movement, the government tried numerous ways to put down the protests, and stepped up its disinformation campaign. Sheikh Hasina at a press conference on July 14, compared the students to ‘razakars’; bengali collaborators of the Pakistani Army. This enraged students, and protests escalated. The government crackdown followed, and students painted the month of July ‘red’.
Cartoons from this narrative portrays the injustice and unfair treatment to students and sheer disrespect that followed with the comparison with those against independence. Artist also covered the injustice, demand for rights, and grievance for the martyrs, especially Aby Sayed, from Rangpur Begum Rokeya University.
The spectacled parrot is a Symbolic form of Sheikh Hasina, ordering the helmet-wearing BCL depicting thugs to attack on students, where the attack images resemble the attack of BCL on girls inside Dhaka University campus. Cartoonist Arif Iqbal mentions in his post that he was inspired by Humayun Ahmed’s symbolic use of the parrot saying ‘Razakar’ in the novel ‘Bahubrihi.’
This cartoon symbolizes the strong resistance against the tag ‘razaakar’ tag, that came with every criticism or demand that questioned the regime, through an emotional portrayal.
This dialogue in the cartoon ‘Off with the theatrics, dear!’ is the sarcastic take on the crocodile tears that the PM had shed on every occasion. It is among the most famous cartoons and dialogues as well, with numerous shares on social media, and the dialogue now a trending meme content.
The public`s great irritation, pain, hatred, and outrage were primarily expressed through the cartoons shared by artists. On social media and online forums, powerful caricatures showing Hasina applauding the deadly helmet-wearing Chhatra League members went viral, so did the autocratic decisions over the years, with blood and massacre depicted in most of them.
Abu Sayeed was shown by another artist standing with his chest exposed. These drawings went viral on the internet in a matter of hours. Cartoons with the themes "Killer Hasina" and "Autocrat" were all over Facebook feeds. The anxiety of responding to posts that were even slightly critical because of the Digital Security Act appeared to vanish. The use of cartoons in mass uprisings is a long-standing tradition, but the sheer volume of cartoons created in the last 20 days of July 2024 seems to be unprecedented in the country’s history.
There were a range of emotional appeal, and visuals of reality combined in cartoons of this time - exhibiting the struggle, the killings, the crackdown, the internet showdown and many more. The Internet disconnection countrywide was a major mishap for the fascist regime, as it only ignited the mistrust in its operation, now to the mass people as well.
The internet disconnection by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former Minister of State for ICT was featured in a fair share of caricatures, with his illogical remarks and justification on the nationwide shutdown of internet and broadband services (Satire & Ridicule, 2024, 100).
When bullets failed to control the march of the protestors towards the heart of Dhaka, the army decided to hold fire. The One-point demand was thrown by the masses, with symbols of a finger, and countdown had begun. Cartoonists crafted the Countdown that had now started, resulting in inspiration and massive response from social media users all over. A showdown was expected when the ‘Long March to Dhaka’ on 5th August 2024 was announced. The bravery won over the fear of tyranny, and people flooded Shahbagh square and Dhaka roads were filled with people braving curfew. Not long after, the chief of army announced that Hasina had resigned, and upon the confirmation of her fleeing to India, the crowd celebrated all across Dhaka.
Therefore, there were very creative pieces on the fleeing of the former PM. They depicted the abandonment of the Fascist Prime Minister, with maximum of them highlighting how she left her party loyals behind. The ‘Students yanking down Hasina’ symbolizes and refers to Oscar winning director Satyajit Roy’s satirical film Hirak Rajar Deshe, ‘Heave and a ho, the King will go.’ This outlines the fall of a tyrant, the collective hatred, and the win of resistance.
The mighty month of July and its memories, the sacrifices, the struggles, the battle, everything has been archived in the mighty pens (literal and digital) of artists. By visually portraying the injustices and the courage of the protestors, cartoons have empowered the students, the people and inspired them to continue their struggle for freedom. It has once again been solidified that art can indeed unify, encourage, and give the world the inspiration to fight the battles that are worth it. Remembering the famous quote by Leo Tolstoy in his 1896 discussion on ‘What is Art?’, -”
is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.”
