GlobalPost

Matador: Colombia’s most popular political cartoonist

Jan 6--Matador’s figures strike poses of bemused innocence as they get into mischief, including killing, kidnapping and stealing elections.

6 de enero de 2010

When political cartoonist Matador draws Alvaro Uribe, the pious, right-wing Colombian president comes across as a middle-aged version of Milhouse, Bart Simpson’s nerdy friend.

Like the characters on "The Simpsons," Matador’s cartoon figures strike poses of bemused innocence as they get into mischief — which in Colombia often involves killing, kidnapping, stealing elections and engaging in acts of brazen political corruption.

Matador’s outrage drives his art.

“Politics is a swamp of shit,” he said as he drank a glass of Jack Daniel’s during a recent interview in Bogota. “Anyone who gets involved gets dirty.”

As a result, Matador — the pseudonym of 40-year-old Julio Cesar Gonzalez — has no shortage of subjects.
 
Read more here.
 
Semana International delivers news about Colombia in English. Find more in our home.