Catalog KOSOVA 2007 World Cartoon Festival

Front cover of catalog Kosova 2007 World Cartoon Festival

Grand Prix: Leng Mu / China

Last week I received the great catalog "World Cartoon Festival KOSOVA 2007". Why great, because it is almost perfect, that is it seems flawless: no misspelling, no faults in binding, in translation, in information, or else. It is 21x27 cm in size and has 204 pages in full color. The topic of the Festival in 2007 was the "News" and 542 artists from 63 countries participated. In the catalog are about 180 cartoons selected and (14) awarded by the jury comprised of Astrit Haraqija, Rudina Xhunga, Gazmend Leka, Luan Mulliqi, Migjen Kelmendi, Binjamen Haxha, and Nekra. Nekra is the pseudonym of the world-famous cartoonist Nexhat Krasniqi (this "q" is pronounced like "ch" in English I suppose) who is the creator of the figure that symbolizes the Kosovar according to Mr Migjen Kelmendi as he puts it in his introductory "2 Words":
"As for me, preoccupied with cultural and identity particularity of this society and of this country that's called Kosova, and engaged to find the answer to the question 'Who is the Kosovar?', the question that was articulated by newspaper JAVA, a fast and very exact answer is this:
'Kosovar' is a drawn figurine of the world known cartoonist Nexhat Krasniqi-NEKRA, from Peja, that small depicted man with his hair waving down, that comments, imitates, pinches, teases, reacts, who usually is ironic, mocks, screws you, and congratulates you, who cries and laughs at all of us and with all of us."
The Festival is held under the supervision of Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sport and nonresidential matters of Kosova at Museum of Kosova in Prishtina on September 21, 2007. Prishtina is specially known among my colleagues for the city is the birthplace of the late master Necmi Riza Ayca (1914-2001), one of our classical Turkish cartoonists who is also remembered as a real gentleman. As Mr Kelmendi summarizes, one of the spheres where Kosova has the right to be proud for is - cartoons. And this quality catalog with its finesse shows that too.
About KOSOVA World Cartoon Festival:
http://www.kosovacartoon.eu/
info@kosovacartoon.eu
studionekra@yahoo.com
+377 44 666548

Third Prize: Faik Krasniqi / Kosova

I'd like to introduce a cartoon from every catalog I review on my blog as "Blogger's Choice" just to remind that there are always quality cartoons in catalogs along with the awarded ones.
I am planning to write soon about the catalogs I received in 2008 from Iran, Syria, and Portugal.

Blogger's Choice: Vasiliy Alexandrov / Russia

The envelope carried the catalog has collectible stamps on it.