Laughing at Power: How Caricature and Satirical Art Expose Politics and Dictatorship

Despite its playful appearance, satire carries significant risks, especially under dictatorships. Artists who criticize power through caricature often face censorship, imprisonment, exile, or even death. The fact that authoritarian regimes react so harshly to cartoons reveals their vulnerability; ridicule undermines the aura of invincibility that dictators depend on. The fear of laughter is, in many ways, a confession of weakness.