It's Just for Laughs: How Cartoonists Are Changing the World

Imagine being one, a press cartoonist. Every day you have to find inspiration, respond to and comment on current events in a witty way. You have to constantly defy editors-in-chief and publishers responsible. And every now and then a colleague loses his job somewhere, or is shot dead - if possible even more efficiently. Life is no laughing matter for the cartoonist.
Het is maar om te lachen examines how Flemish press cartoonists of different generations view their profession. How do they work? Has the Flemish press world changed over the past few years? Do cartoonists often come up against the boundaries of freedom of expression and humour? How did the news of the attack on Charlie Hebdo reach them? In a double interview, French-speaking cartoonists Nicolas Vadot and Cécile Muller delve deeper into the situation on the other side of the language border.

This unique book contains interviews with Gal, Ian, Ilah, Kim, Lectrr, Wauter Mannaert, Marec, Pirana, Steve and Zaza. Dave Sinardet wrote the foreword. The texts are by: Michaël Bellon, Anne Brumagne, Roel Daenen, Joyce de Badts, Dave Sinardet, Kurt Snoeckx, Dirk Vandenberghe, Tim Van der Mensbrugghe, Sofie Mulders, Liza Noteris, Patrick Verstuyft and Walter Zinzen.
Roel Daenen works as a journalist for AGENDA/Brussel Deze Week, Metro and Stripgids, among others. He studied history in Ghent and Lisbon, and received the first Davidsfonds History Prize for his role as coordinator of Heritage Day in 2012.