Awarded in Geneva Press Drawing Prize for Palestinian and Ugandan artist
Safaa Odah and Jimmy "Spire" Sseetongo are this year's winners of the Prix international de dessin de presse in Geneva. The Palestinian is being honored for her humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip, the Ugandan for his cartoons critical of the government.
04.05.2026, 08:00
04.05.2026, 08:18
SDA
"Our 2026 prize is a call for freedom for cartoonists and for Safaa to finally be freed from her prison of rubble," explained Patrick Chappatte, founder and president of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, on Monday.
The Palestinian was granted asylum by France before the reception program for scientists and artists was suspended. Although the program was resumed, she is still stuck.
Since then, she has continued to draw, sometimes on the canvas of her tent in the destroyed Palestinian territory. Before the war in October 2023, she campaigned for the emancipation of women and young people with drawings, comics and posters. Today, she depicts the everyday life of the population in the Gaza Strip without directly addressing politics.
"Spire", a self-taught artist, has been working for the Ugandan newspaper "The Observer" since 2006. He also works as a researcher and has published numerous articles and books. He is often harassed and has been targeted by the authorities since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
In 2024, he received death threats after launching an anti-corruption campaign on social media. A victim of cyberbullying, he lives underground, so to speak.
