Cartoonist gives Syria a new line in freedom,Politics has never been much fun there but d cartoonist Ali Farzat believes-jokes r d way 2bring d reform

Cartoonist gives Syria a new line in freedom


* Brian Whitaker in Damascus
* The Guardian, Tuesday 3 April 2001 03.01 BST
* Article history

Politics has never been much fun in Syria, but the cartoonist Ali Farzat believes that jokes are the way to bring about reform.

He has just become a newspaper proprietor - the first since Syria's last privately owned paper was shut down in 1963 - and promises that his satirical tabloid Addomari (the Lamplighter) will "bring light to the political, economic, and social situation".

In the first issue articles sandwiched between cartoons tackled corruption and the quality of life in Syria. It also predicted a cabinet reshuffle: the sort of a story the official media would not touch until it happened.

In 30 years of cartooning Farzat has won 13 awards and held 31 international exhibitions. He has worked not only for the official Syrian daily Tishreen but for Le Monde and other newspapers abroad.

Seven years ago an unexpected visitor to one of his exhibitions was Bashar al-Assad, son of the Syrian president, who was then in his late twenties. He looked at the cartoons, which included some banned in Syria, and told Farzat that they should all have been published.

When the son became president on the death of his father last year, Farzat remembers the conversation and applied for permission to publish a newspaper. Amazingly, it was granted.

But getting started was far from simple. After 38 years without any independent media, printing companies were not geared up to produce a newspaper. In the end, one company printed some of its 20 pages and another did the rest.

Farzat ordered 50,000 copies - a cheeky gesture since the official daily dailies print only 40,000. He also priced the Lamplighter at 25 Syrian pounds (39p), five times the cost of a Syrian daily.

By 10am on the day of publication the first issue had sold out. "We even had newsagents coming to our office demanding copies," Farzat says.

He hastily ordered an extra 25,000 copies and increased the print run for the second issue to 100,000. Even so, there is still a shortage. Secondhand copies can be borrowed for 7p or bought outright for just over £2.

The Lamplighter, which has 15 staff, including administrators, was started on Farzat's savings. Selling his cartoons abroad for the past 30 years has earned him far more than the average Syrian journalist.

"This is an adventure," he says. He could either become very rich or lose his life savings. "I'm sitting at a green table" - recognising that it is a poker game.

As Syria's court jester he may be allowed to say things that others cannot, though some readers suggest that the paper has more bravado than substance: it grumbles about corruption without naming names.

"What matters is the issue rather than the person," Farzat retorts. "We criticise people for their work, not personally.

"I don't think there is complete freedom anywhere. The paper is liberal. We'll criticise everything, but we won't betray our country."

Seven other new papers have been approved since President Assad took office, though only two have appeared so far, and all belong to parties in the Ba'athist-led National Progressive Front.But the information minister, Adnan Umran, says they will eventually cover a broad range of views: left, right and centre.

In his 10th-floor office at the top of the Ba'ath newspaper headquarters, the minister says he is worried that opening up too quickly will lead to a chaotic free-for-all.

"We believe in going step by step."

Too many new papers, he fears, will reduce the viability of existing ones. "And we'd like to be sure there is no abuse" - by which he means newspapers being bribed to adopt a particular line.

There are no plans to privatise the two state-owned tele vision channels, Mr Umran says, "but there is no ceiling on progress. These ideas are talked about".

Information in Syria is no longer the preserve of state and party. Foreign newspapers and magazines are readily available to those who can afford them, and many people watch satellite television.

Meanwhile the regime seems unsure what to tolerate. After Assad died political salons multiplied.

But last month Vice-President Abdel Halim Khaddam clamped down on them, saying they threatened the security and stability of society. Now they must give the authorities 15 days' notice of their debates, and wait for approval.

The internet, one of Presi dent Assad's personal interests, is also censored, albeit half-heartedly. Access to some sites is blocked, including, bizarrely, Microsoft's hotmail.

This does not stop anyone visiting it: you simply go to the Microsoft homepage, msn.com, which is not banned, and click on the hotmail link.

President Assad's declared intention is to get everyone in Syria online, but so far only 9,000 are signed up. In the internet cafes of Damascus almost all the customers are foreigners.

The reason is simple: access costs about £1.40 an hour, an enormous amount of money for most Syrians.

"If I spent one hour a day on the internet," a government employee said, "it would cost me half my salary."