(Deutsch:) Latuff ist ein Cartoonist aus Rio de Janeiro. Seine Hauptinteressen liegen in globaler sozialer Gerechtigkeit und in der Freiheit Palästinas.

Latuff Links
- Latuff's Youtube Channel
- http://latuff.deviantart.com
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latuff
- www.angelfire.com/la/latuff/pinochet.html
- members.tripod.com/Chiapas_2/latuff/

On this Page:
- Hearts, Minds and Pockets (2003)
- Likud Party Discovers Latuff (2006)
- Latuff bei Indymedia (2002)
- Some Pics mostly from 2002
- Forgiveness Series (2004)

(English:) Latuff is a cartoonist from Rio de Janeiro. His major interest is global social justice and freedom for Palestine.

Is there such thing as a perfect crime? The "bishop" Edir Macedo gives us a classic case study of perfect crime. Through a refined method of religious extortion, the leader of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, amassed, in a very short time, a fortune that was bigger then the fortunes of the Saudi magnates. Counting on the cooperation of his followers, which are members of the most impoverished groups in the Brazilian populations, Edir Macedo, erected churches all over the place. The Brazilian temples are pharaonic in style and grandeur. He also owns radio and television stations, extending his influence to the legislature, where elected members are part of the evangelic lobby. They are involved at municipal and state level, as well.

For some, Edir Macedo is an example to be followed. There are many, out there, that are interested in following his formula for prosperity. One of them is, actually, his brother in law R.R.Soares. He is a "missionary", a type of dissident, who has fared quiet well at the Igreja Universal, but doesn't have the amount of money nor the clout that Macedo has. Following the same process that Macedo used, Soares founded his own church. It is called Igreja Internacional da Graca de Deus. The "Missionary" who does not yet has his own radio or TV, has been buying spaces in different television channels, including the noble time at Brazilian TV Bandeirantes, where he presents his program "Show da Fe." The name fits like a glove. If television exhibits desperate people as if they are animals in a circus, why not make faith a type of attractive spectacle like the Jerry Springer show? During the programs presented by Soares and his coterie of pastors and lay people, what one see is a series of "miracles" obtained by people that send monthly payments to the church. This can be done by dialing 300, or by making transfers to banks. The caller (also know as associate member) even pays for the telephone call. However Soares is a fair man. He doesn't demand that people give money to the church. According to the "Missionary", Jesus tells the person of faith, how much it should give. Soares suggestions are, minimum of 30 reais per month and if one can afford, more. There are those that offer monthly payments of 50 or 100 reais (Brazilian currency, which is about 1 dollar equals 2,50 reais). During the religious services, the "Missionary", decide to cure the people present, in a flash of a moment's notice. From serious illness till stomach burn, the witnesses declare how Soares healing prayers, in the name of Jesus, cured them. Obviously we cannot count on the faithful testimonies. Because there is no way to prove that they came in sick and left healed. However faith is the name of the game, I am not the appropriated person to instigate doubt. If the caller or church member says that he is cured, in that moment, probably he is being cured. However the blessing is not always instantaneous. In the show, "Talk with the Minister", presented through UHF, by RIT (Rede Internacional de Televisao), owned by Soares, a pastor received a phone call from a spectator, who hoped to get cured from a certain pain. The pastor closes his eyes and start praying. After the prayer he asks if the pain is gone. The faithful respond: No. The pastor close his eyes again making a grim face and he prays again. Nothing happens. The pain continues. The pastor finishes with that faithful and request that the person in question continues to pray farther on his own. There are testimonies of people that contribute monthly, because it was Jesus' work, which enabled a husband's lover to get sick and move to another city. Or there is the story of another associate member, who declares proudly that she was able to buy 3 refrigerators, after her membership started. The Missionary smiles, thanks them and ask in a bombastic voice: "applauses for Jesus!" But behind all this spectacle of charlatanism, there is the constant propagation of nazi style theories. One of the examples is the last year-televised sermon against homosexuality. He used a metaphor to explain to millions of viewers, why the relationship between same sex partners is abominable. He asked people to imagine the following: "There are cows and bulls. If the bulls don't cover the cows, what are they good for? Nothing! Therefore they must be slaughtered.

When there are prayers, pastors from the Igreja da Graca, command that negativity and all sicknesses leave the body of the faithful (homosexuality is one of the diseases mentioned) and homosexuality is also related to evil, according to him and his brand of evangelization. In dealing with the crusade for the hearts, minds and pockets, of some of the poorest people in the world, the devil has being a constant companion of the pastors and missionaries. Without the devil, there would not be any reason for the Pastors existences. Practically everything is attributed to demoniac forces, even a simple headache. The Afro-Brazilian cults are all work of Satan, according to the Igreja da Graca. Under this principle, there is a hateful campaign being waged against the adepts of Umbanda, Candomble and Kardecism. If you don’t pray by the bible or by the Pentecostal book of prayers, it is because you are Satan’s influence. The church also uses George W. Bush logic: "If you are not with us you are with the devil."

To support this fundamentalist indoctrination, the church has a publishing and audiovisual industry, R.R. Soares publishes, books, magazines, videos, CDs, with evangelic proselytizing and music. The so-called gospel music comes in a variety of rhythms, that extend from heavy-metal, to forro (typical Brazilian folk music), absorbing artists that are disparaged by the dominant media, while they repeat the same theme: Viva Christ. It doesn’t matter which singer or which song, all say Haleluya Jesus is my Savior, type of stuff. You buy 200 evangelic CDs from a diverse group of artists with different styles and you will hear the same dour cantillation, Jesus this, Jesus that, Jesus the other. Jesus is the oldest propaganda-boy.

These stories reveal more than just caricature or stereotyping, even though it is nothing new. It shows a great number of the population, poor and agonizing between the economic or moral debacle of the society struggling to fill in the vacuum created by the rich part of the civil society. Then come these messianic fraudulent con artists, with promises of a new world for 30 reais a month. These missionaries disseminate, discrimination, intolerance like the white Europeans did with the small pox and syphilis among the indigenous people. These con artists use the media to forcibly evangelize all that have no access to proteins, education, health care and cable TV.

R.R. Soares and Edir Macedo are in competition with each other. They are competing for the same territory of the poor masses’ minds. They are faith Mafiosos. They are proof that with a good economic plan and a Bible in hand; anyone can make him/herself recognized by the society. Some Bible knowledge and a keen understand of human frailties and fears, will get your pockets and bank account brimming with money.

Special thanks to Regina for translation from original in Portuguese.

(Para os leitores brasileiros: estou publicando a versão em inglês do artigo "Corações, mentes e bolsos" para atender aos leitores estrangeiros. O texto em português já foi publicado aqui, mas caso alguém não tenha lido, pode acessar a página http://www.novae.inf.br/latuff/picaretas_da_fe.htm. Obrigado pela tradução, Regina!)

The Israeli Likud Party recently discovered the Brazilian image-maker Latuff. There is a text dating from September 5, 2006 in Hebrew together with 13 images displayed at www.likudnik.co.il/Front/NewsNet/reports.asp?reportId=171273. Here is an English translation of the article, followed by a commentary and the 13 cartoons. The emphasis in bold letters is added:¹

Carlos Latuff – He has a reference in Wikipedia; at Google you can find 8 pages about him. But what does the Foreign Affairs Ministry know about him? The Mossad? The Committee of Foreign Affairs and Security? The Israeli Army? Any other element that deals with Israel's security?
Carlos Latuff – an Arabic family name. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 36 years old. On his homepage he is photographed with Leila Khaled, the terrorist who hijacked an Israeli airplane. He is one of the biggest Israel-haters.
He is the headmaster of one of the biggest factories for propaganda and incitements against Israel, he distributes poison in every place. The damage he's doing to Israel amongst youth around the world is enormous. He is one of the most influential Anti-Zionists in the world wide web, an awesome graphic talent, and a great cartoonist. He knows how to influence and use the internet. He is a top player in the Iranian evil industry, and his cartoons participate in the holocaust denial gallery in Teheran.
He hates America & Israel, his cartoons show Israelis and their rulers as demons. He sends missiles of hatred no less powerful than the missiles that Iran is developing, and he takes part in a gigantic genocide industry, with one goal – the destroying of the Jewish state.
In an impressive video movie, in clear English, he's trying to unite all those who hate Israel. In a movie distributed in the net he asks them to be active and to participate in the struggle on the information front – to write stories & poems, to talkback, to blog, send photos, to participate in meetings and demos, to be active and to unite.
His satanic cartoons are published in the world journals, and in endless number of websites. He does not ask for copyrights and he urges people to use them freely.
And what is Israel doing? Nothing!!!
Did they complain to the Brazilian embassy?
Think what would happen to an Israeli citizen that was exposing the leaders of Brazil in this way. Did anybody try to charge him with incitement and attempted murder? Did anybody hear about him at all ??
This is the WMD that Prof. Harari, the ex-headmaster of Weitman institute lectured about in the last Hertzlia convention. This is the danger Prof. Yoav Gelbar is warning in his publicity work. That what brings the heads of the Jewish Congress to Israel this week.
The Israeli carelessness on the information front is not acceptable and can't go on. This Carlos should have been "taken care of" a long time ago, in some way or another. The question is: what should we do, and whose responsibility is it to do so?
I call you all to be active. There is no one institute that can challenge this kind of genocidal war. Not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Ministry of Defense, or even any other ministry. We have to unite, as Carlos suggested, and act together.
We are witnessing a systematic & basic way of giving legitimacy to hit the "Zionist demon". Carlos Latuff excels at this kind of propaganda. The problem will be solved – the "final solution"  – by the Iranian President, who enjoys those drawings & cartoons, Nazi Germany, Holocaust denial, Hizbullah & its rockets. This is the reason he needs those atomic plants, he needs them to kill all those disgusting creatures that Latuff is drawing, and then the world will be a better place. There were others that tried it before, remember?
Goebbels was the propaganda minister of the 3rd Reich and made propaganda a powerful weapon for the Nazi regime. His basic assumption was that a lie said enough times became truth in the consciousness of people. Now we know that Hitler wrote his books and then manifested them in the Holocaust. The things that are said against Israel in internet forums & visual elements are copies of the Nazi propaganda. This is an ideology of genocide that has proven its power in the past."

1. Here we see a Mr. Olmert who lets bombs fall down on Lebanon and Palestine. The text says: "Collective Punishment, Trademark of Israel". Now, where is the scandal? Is it the criticism of collective punishment, or is it collective punishment?

4. Worried Palestinian behind the Israeli wall, dressed as a detainee with a red badge for "Palestinian" on his shirt, and a number. There is a clear reference to actual situations here. Israel built a wall on Palestinian land (!) and locks the Palestinians away. It is a disgraceful wall and most people in the world hate it. Small wonder that cartoonists take this subject. Comparison with Nazis? Yes, here Israelis are compared with Nazis. There is a clear reference to actual situations.


7. A girl watering a small tree which is growing out of a big dead cedar tree, still smoking, a symbol for Lebanon. (Why did the Likud pick even this one?)

2. The soldiers/butchers in this cartoon say: "Israel Occupation forces are entering Gaza... Since there's no longer Israeli settlements there, Gaza is now free fire zone!" Now, what is to be criticized? Is it the mapping of Israeli slaughtering, or is it Israeli slaughtering?

5. An Israeli soldier who is angry that the UN demands a truce. He had just shot a big hole into Lebanon with a US weapon and missed the small apple on the head of the Hezbollah man who is standing in front of Lebanon, symbolized with the flag.


8. Under US applause, an Israeli soldier presents a bomb to the Lebanese people "From Israel with Love". The West is looking away and the UN is stifled. The subtext says: "In loving memory of the children of the Lebanese village of Qana, murdered in an Israeli attack on 30 July, 2006". The soldier is portrayed in an ugly way to indicate that his action is ugly. It is not fiction, the Israelis did, in fact, commit the Qana and many other crimes recently in Lebanon.

3. A Lebanese child set on fire by an Israeli gasoline can. One must keep in mind that the Likud (and the other parties) also opposed international media when it did not follow the official Israeli propaganda and when it gave too much attention to the killed Lebanese civilians. There were far more than a thousand Lebanese people killed (for the alleged reason that two Israeli soldiers were captured on probably Lebanese soil)

6. A satirical picture showing Mr. Olmert on "The IsraHell War Crimes Channel". He says: "Unfortunately we had to stop the rain of bombing over Lebanon, but weather in Gaza still the same".

9. Mr. Olmert speaking in front of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), saying "We want full-scale war" and "Gaza, Beirut, Damascus, Teheran". He is barefoot, kind of kneeling on the desk, the mouth dripping foam, and dressed in a white lunetic's jacket so that he cannot move his arms He is laughing insanely. The scene refers to the prevailing delusion in Israel's politicians who think they are allowed to kill everybody who they don't like. A great part of the world thinks of Israeli politicians that way.

10. Condoleeza Rice here, in a corn flakes parody, saying: "Burning flesh smells so good." Out of the box of war crimes fall bombs, they fall onto Beirut and Gaza. This refers to US aid to the killing in Lebanon and the whole marketing of the war, where the publics are fooled by media and politicians.

11. An Israeli plane sending bombs to the shore of Lebanon, about to kill a boy.

12. The text says: "Israel began a fifth day of bombardments as part of an operation that followed Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers. More than 80 Lebanese were killed, including women and children." – One of the soldiers says: "I heard that in 1942 the Nazis massacred civilians in Lidice as revenge for the death of a Nazi officer." – The other one answers: "Yes! The good ol' Nazis taught us a lot..." – I personally don't like that too much. Still, it refers to real situations. I wrote about the phenomenon elsewhere and don't want to get in on Nazi comparisons now.

13. Text TV: "Israeli troops and tanks moved into Southern Gaza and arrest Palestinian minister." – USA says: "Israel has a right to defend itself from the Palestinians." – Tied-up UN says: "But who will defend the Palestinians from Israel?"

All in all, Latuff can be happy to receive so much attention and laud from the Likud. Too bad that those people do not have the means to deal with a guy like Latuff. They only have oppressive means at their disposal. And this is exactly what the Likud text proves: every criticism is connected to Hitler in one way or another, beyond all limits of reason. The Likud words about Latuff are no rational words, they are traumatic words. They have nothing to do with Latuff.

Footnote
1: It is not possible for me to check the validity of this translation. It came to me in an email. If there are mistakes in it, please tell me, so I can correct them. (back)

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness/Perdão

Comment:
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong"
„Die Schwachen können niemals vergeben. Vergebung ist eine Eigenschaft der Starken.“
"O fraco nunca poderá perdoar. O perdão é a marca dos fortes."
Mahatma Gandhi

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness2/Perdão2

Comment:
"Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten."
„Wut wird niemals verschwinden, solange im Geist Gedanken des Grolls gepflegt werden. Wut wird verschwinden, sobald die Gedanken des Grolls vergessen sind.“
"O ódio nunca irá desaparecer enquanto mantivermos ressentimentos na mente. O ódio vai desaparecer tão logo o ressentimento for esquecido."
Buddha

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness (Part 3)/Perdão (Parte 3)

Comment:
"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."
„Wir werden nie all das Gute kennen, das ein einfaches Lächeln schaffen kann.“
"Nunca sabemos o bem que um simples sorriso pode fazer."
Mother Teresa (Madre Teresa de Calcutá)

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness (Part 4)/Perdão (Parte 4)

Comment: "If we practice an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, soon the whole world will be blind and toothless."
„Wenn wir Auge um Auge und Zahn um Zahn anwenden, wird die Welt bald blind und zahnlos sein.“
"Se praticarmos o olho por olho, dente por dente, em breve o mundo inteiro ficará cego e banguela."
Mahatma Gandhi

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness (Part 5)/ Perdão (Parte 5)

Comment:
"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do"
„Jeder Mensch ist schuldig an all dem Guten, das er nicht getan hat.“
"Todo homem é culpado pelo bem que deixou de fazer."
Voltaire
For German readers: Siehe unten den Text "Die Schaukel"

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness (Part 6)/ Perdão (Parte 6)

Comment:
"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend"
„Die Liebe ist die einzige Macht, die aus einem Feind einen Freund machen kann.“
"O amor é a única força capaz de transformar inimigos em amigos."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Latuff's Art Mailing List (2004)
Forgiveness (Part 7)/Perdão (Parte 7)

(Zum obigen Bild "Die Schaukel" aus Latuffs Forgiveness-Serie): Am Rücken spüre ich den starken Stamm des alten Baumes, der mich wie ein Freund stützt und gleichzeitig mit dem Himmel und der Erde verbindet. Von drüben höre ich das vergnügte Lachen schaukelnder Kinder. Im Rhythmus ihrer Bewegungen wird das Lachen mal leiser, mal lauter. Hin und her. Scheinbar losgelöst von der Welt schweben sie glücklich über sie hinweg, jedes nach eigenem Wollen, nach eigener Kraft. Und doch bleiben sie immer durch das gemeinsame Schaukelgerüst miteinander vereint. Wie eine Freundschaft, die trägt, auch wenn man sich für eine Zeit nicht sieht und eigene Wege geht. Weggehen und Wiederkommen. Vor und zurück.
Auch ihre Großväter kannten ein Vor und Zurück. Vorsichtige Annäherung und erschrockenes, manchmal wütendes Auseinanderrennen. Aber sie waren stets fest miteinander verbunden: durch das eine Land, in dem sie lebten. Und das sie lange nicht als ihr gemeinsames akzeptieren wollten.
Heute schaukeln ihre Enkel zusammen über unsere eine Heimat und lachen mit dem Gelb der Sonne und dem Blau des Himmels um die Wette ...
(Diana Al-Jumaili, Juni 2005)