By Manal El Warraky
Spain is participating as the guest of honor at the second edition of the Damanhour International Women’s Cartoon Festival, which will be held from March 8 to 13 in Damanhour. 301 professional cartoonists representing 44 countries will participate.
The festival represents the culmination of a year of work in Damanhour, during which 250 girls and women participated in cartoon workshops organized by the Cartoon for All and “Abraby… You Can” initiatives, affiliated with the Abdullah El Sawy Foundation for the Preservation of Egyptian Cartoon Heritage.
The festival will feature two Spanish cartoonists: Cristina González Riberte and Mónica Ruiz Retuerto, who will participate in the festival’s activities through lectures and workshops, in addition to exhibiting some of their work in the Spanish pavilion. In addition to the works of the two artists, the Spanish pavilion will include an exhibition on the famous Spanish cartoon magazine “La Traca,” as well as the works of the renowned Spanish cartoonist Juan Sients Blasco, who lived and worked in Egypt throughout his life and until his death. He is considered a pioneer of the art of caricature in Egypt.
The two artists will also present a workshop on the art of caricature at the Cervantes Institute in Alexandria on March 11, as part of the festival’s activities.
It is worth noting that the second edition of the Damanhour International Women’s Caricature Festival is organized by the Abdullah El-Sawy Foundation for the Preservation of Egyptian Caricature Heritage, headed by researcher and writer Abdullah El-Sawy, in cooperation with the Beheira branch of the National Council for Women, headed by Engineer Zakia Rashad. The festival is sponsored by Professor Dr. Ahmed Fouad Heno, Minister of Culture, Dr. Jacqueline Azer, Governor of Beheira, and Counselor Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women. The festival’s activities and events will run from March 8 to 13. The first edition of the festival was held from March 3 to 7, 2024, with France as the guest of honor and the participation of renowned French cartoonist Trax.
ristina Gonzalez, better known as Cristina Turbeña, studied graphic arts at the Old School of Arts and Crafts in Palma and began her passion for caricature through her graduation project. In addition to caricature, she has worked in illustration in other fields. She collaborated on murals in Anantapur, India, with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, and also in Palma, where she honored pioneering women in space on International Women’s Day. Her style has evolved while maintaining the essence of her beginnings. She has moved from using traditional techniques such as Chinese ink, acrylic, gouache, and charcoal to delving into digital techniques such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate. For her, the magic of caricature lies in revealing what is inside people, something that is often hidden and impossible to capture with a photograph.
Mónica Ruiz, known as emesuepes, is an architect whose passion for caricature began 15 years ago when she first saw a live drawing session. Since then, she has been interested in drawing and caricature. In 2021, she joined the Spanish Cartoonists Association and has since participated in its activities. Mónica is known for her highly personal style in drawing cartoons, which has earned her numerous awards in the world of cartoons both inside and outside Spain.
