Nikahang Kowsar
Encyclopedia
Nikahang Kowsar, also known as Nik Kowsar is an Iran
ian cartoonist
, journalist
, and blogger, currently living in Toronto
, Canada
. Kowsar was also a reformist
candidate for the second term of city council
of Tehran
in 2003, an election won by the conservative
candidates of Abadgaran.
He studied Geology in the University of Tehran
, and joined Gol-Agha, an Iranian political satire magazine as a cartoonist in 1991. He worked for Hamshahri
from 1992 to 1998, and was a member of Newspapers such as "Zan", 'Aftab-e Emrooz", "Sobh-e Emrooz", "Akhbar-e Eghtesadi", "Azad", "Bahar", "Bonyan", "Doran-e Emrooz", "Nosazi", "Hayate No", "Abrar-e Eghteadi", "Hambastegi", "Farhang-e Ashti". Most of these papers were banned by Saeed Mortazavi
. He was arrested in Feb. 2000 for drawing a cartoon and spent 6 days at the Evin Prison
in Tehran.
Kowsar is a landed immigrant in Canada, applied in 2004 and received his status in 2005.
In 2005, CBC's Farid Haerinejad
made a documentary about Nikahang Kowsar entitled "The Bloggers' War". The film was the winner of Bronze Plaque from Christopher Columbus International Film and Video Festival Ohio. .
Kowsar has been sentenced to prison for his cartoons in absentia. For a while Kowsar had a hard time finding a job related to his previous expertise, resulting in him working for fifteen months in a dry cleaning
plant. He is now working for a Canadian News Agency. He also has been free-lancing and his cartoons have been recently published by The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, The Globe and Mail
, Maclean's
, and The Guardian
. Kowsar is a member of the New York Times Syndicate.
Kowsar is a member of the board of directors of Cartoonists Rights Network International.
Kowsar is also a member of the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists (ACEC) and Journalists in Exile (JEX). CBC
made a documentary based on his life and his involvement in the Blogger movement.
online , a news website which is funded by a Dutch foundation. He now runs Khodnevis, a citizen journalism platform. He has been strongly criticized by supporters of the Iranian government, for his cartoons depicting Iran's involvement in Iraq, and possible war with the United States, as well as as supporters of Iranian Reformists for criticizing former president Khatami and candidates like Mousavi and Karoubi. Kowsar has criticized the reformist leaders for not taking responsibility for their acts in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq war and mass-executions of political activists in Iran. The cartoons have been published by Rooz
and khodnevis.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and blogger, currently living in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Kowsar was also a reformist
Iranian reformists
The Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the system to include more freedom and...
candidate for the second term of city council
City and Village Councils of Iran
City and Village Councils are local councils which are elected by public vote in all cities and villages throughout Iran....
of Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 2003, an election won by the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
candidates of Abadgaran.
He studied Geology in the University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, and joined Gol-Agha, an Iranian political satire magazine as a cartoonist in 1991. He worked for Hamshahri
Hamshahri
Hamshahri is a major national Iranian Persian-language newspaper published by the Municipality of Tehran, and founded by Gholamhossein Karbaschi. It is the first coloured daily newspaper in Iran and has over 60 pages of classified advertisement, and is priced at 1000 Iranian rials. Currently, the...
from 1992 to 1998, and was a member of Newspapers such as "Zan", 'Aftab-e Emrooz", "Sobh-e Emrooz", "Akhbar-e Eghtesadi", "Azad", "Bahar", "Bonyan", "Doran-e Emrooz", "Nosazi", "Hayate No", "Abrar-e Eghteadi", "Hambastegi", "Farhang-e Ashti". Most of these papers were banned by Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Murtazavi is a controversial Iranian jurist and former prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of Tehran, a position he has held from 2003 to 2009. He has been called as "butcher of the press" and "torturer of Tehran" by some observers...
. He was arrested in Feb. 2000 for drawing a cartoon and spent 6 days at the Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
in Tehran.
Crocodile Cartoon
Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi's nickname comes from a cartoon portraying "Professor Crocodile", a "reptilian academic who was shown strangling a journalist with his tail". The cartoon was drawn by Nikahang Kowsar and satirized freedom of expression in Iran, and a speech given by Mesbah Yazdi in the previous day. Mesbah Yazdi was known as Professor Mesbah (Persian: استاد مصباح) among his supporters. "Mesbah" rhymes with the Persian word for crocodile, "Temsah" (Persian: تمساح), and the cartoon labeled the crocodile as "Professor Temsah", who repeats the words used by Mesbah Yazdi in the previous day. Nikahang Kowsar was arrested and spent seven days in prison for the depiction. Later, he sent an apology letter to Mesbah, and the cleric had accepted it.Kowsar is a landed immigrant in Canada, applied in 2004 and received his status in 2005.
In 2005, CBC's Farid Haerinejad
Farid Haerinejad
Farid Haerinejad , is a documentary maker and blogger. He formerly worked with CBC and is now the editor-in-chief of Persian-language Radio Zamaneh in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.- Life and education:...
made a documentary about Nikahang Kowsar entitled "The Bloggers' War". The film was the winner of Bronze Plaque from Christopher Columbus International Film and Video Festival Ohio. .
Kowsar has been sentenced to prison for his cartoons in absentia. For a while Kowsar had a hard time finding a job related to his previous expertise, resulting in him working for fifteen months in a dry cleaning
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...
plant. He is now working for a Canadian News Agency. He also has been free-lancing and his cartoons have been recently published by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Kowsar is a member of the New York Times Syndicate.
Kowsar is a member of the board of directors of Cartoonists Rights Network International.
Kowsar is also a member of the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists (ACEC) and Journalists in Exile (JEX). CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
made a documentary based on his life and his involvement in the Blogger movement.
Awards
Kowsar won the 2001 international "Courage for Editorial Cartooning" award from Cartoonists Rights Network. He also received the second prize of Canada's National Press Club editorial cartoon contest in 2001. He has won 4 National Press Awards from Iran's "Press Festival" in 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2002. In 1995, he was a recipient of and Honorary Diploma from the International Caricature contest's in Tolentino, Italy.Recent works
His cartoons are mainly published by RoozRooz
Rooz is a Persian and English news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi and Nikahang Kowsar with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi and Ahmad Zeidabadi...
online , a news website which is funded by a Dutch foundation. He now runs Khodnevis, a citizen journalism platform. He has been strongly criticized by supporters of the Iranian government, for his cartoons depicting Iran's involvement in Iraq, and possible war with the United States, as well as as supporters of Iranian Reformists for criticizing former president Khatami and candidates like Mousavi and Karoubi. Kowsar has criticized the reformist leaders for not taking responsibility for their acts in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq war and mass-executions of political activists in Iran. The cartoons have been published by Rooz
Rooz
Rooz is a Persian and English news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi and Nikahang Kowsar with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi and Ahmad Zeidabadi...
and khodnevis.
External links
- Nikahang Kowsar's Notes, Kowsar's Persian weblog
- Khodnevis, Persian Citizen Journalism Platform, Khodnevis.org
- Nik Kowsar's Cartoons on Cagle.com, Kowsar's Cartoons
- Kowsar's Blogger profile
- Kowsar on Iranian regime's hit list - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- Cartoonists Rights Network International