Refused? Stuck? Or, purely and simply, buried? One thing is certain: the project of a House of Press Cartoons in the heart of Paris is, to date, paralyzed. Although this project had the support of the entire community of press cartoonists and, obviously, Charlie Hebdo, but also from the former Minister of Culture Rima Abdul-Malak, and with the blessing of Emmanuel Macron, everything suddenly stopped in January, with the arrival of Rachida Dati to the ministry. Enough to fuel the most pessimistic scenarios, including that of abandonment in the open field. “Frankly, it’s getting harder and harder to believe.” says Natacha Wolinski, one of the three Wolinski girls, who has been following the case since the disappearance of her father and stepmother, Maryse.
It all started in 2007, when Georges Wolinski, a year after the publication of the Muhammad cartoons by Charlie Hebdo, presents to the Ministry of Culture its report on the promotion and conservation of press cartoons and satirical caricatures. Among its seven great proposals, the creation of a House of Press Caricatures. The idea remained in the drawers, until Maryse Wolinski took it up on her own, after the attack on charlie hebdo in January 2015, which cost the lives of twelve people, including her husband and four other cartoonists.
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the murders, Emmanuel Macron officially launched the project, declaring that ” there “France always stands by those who defend freedom of expression.”. On January 11, 2022, the Head of State announced that this house, after several months of discussions, will be Parisian and that it will be inaugurated in 2026. The project continues “at high speed”, in the words of designer Kak, president of the association Cartoons for peacean actor from the steering committee created on this occasion.
The risk of being stuck
At the end of December 2023, the financing is locked, the location (a school on rue du Pont-de-Lodi, in the heart of 6my district) and the architects responsible for the renovation of the chosen building. A new meeting is scheduled for January 26, 2024. First it was postponed, then canceled and since then nothing: there are no more signs of life. On June 3, three associations promoting press cartoons, participating in the steering committee (Cartoons for peace, Draw Create Freedom AND France cartoons), write a letter to the Culture Minister’s chief of staff, Rachida Dati, to express their concern. In their letter they ask two questions: “Is the creation of the House of Press Cartoons still a government priority? Will it be done within the announced schedule? »
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