The winter 2015 issue of Index on Censorship magazine, focusing on taboos. Cover image by Ben Jennings
All over the world, taboos are preventing discussion and debate. This is most problematic when that debate might make people aware of a problem and give them an opportunity to fix it.
Taboos change from country to country, but everywhere they create ignorance and, often, fear.
That’s why, for the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, we explored worldwide taboos in all their guises. As part of this, we commissioned a selection of cartoonists from around the globe to draw taboos from their homelands – from nazism, atheism and death to domestic violence and necrophilia.
One cartoonist, the Paris-based T0ad, tackled nudity. He said: “In this cartoon, I tackle the taboo around nudity as only sexual. Googling ‘nude’, for instance, shows a set of images that have sexual connotations. Here, pornography is the sacred veil covering the plain (non-sexual) body.”
We caught up with T0ad afterward to discuss his life as a cartoonist, drawing Donald Trump and his biggest concerns in French politics.
I cannot understand why clothed people are not embarrassed all the time. How can these clothed people walk around and socially interact with others whilst all the while they are nude underneath their clothes. The only persons who have the right not to be embarrassed are already completely naked.
Toad, I do not understand how you could draw Donald Trumper if you have taboos drawing pornography. Isn’t he a bit discusting himself ? Or did I misunderstand maybe ?