SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 6 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The cartoonist Bartolomé Seguí, hailing from Palma de Mallorca and the recipient of the National Comic Award in 2009, has joined the voices criticising the tourism model implemented on the island and in other regions of Spain, showing support for the protests taking place in the Canary Islands. He unequivocally states that in terms of this economic sector, “we have gone beyond all sustainability limits.”
In an interview with the Cine + Cómics Foundation, covered by Europa Press, Bartolomé Seguí mentions that for years “we have been constantly told that tourism is our livelihood, but in reality, only a select few have amassed wealth while the majority of the population bears the brunt of overcrowding daily and struggles to make ends meet due to tourist overload.” The creator of ‘Las Serpientes Ciegas’, for which he was honoured with the highest recognition given to Spanish artists, insists that “it is not about a fear of tourism, but about reclaiming a balance that enables a healthy coexistence between residents and visitors.”
He also delves into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a technology he views as “unstoppable and poised to eliminate numerous jobs; not just those of visual and audiovisual artists, but also translators, writers, and journalists.” He highlights that generative AI “does not innovate; it merely recycles images from the extensive compilation of works by actual creators it has been fed, underscoring the importance, in my opinion, of acknowledging and enacting legislation to protect creators’ rights.”
Regarding the ‘White Book of Comics’ recently published, providing an insight into the current state of the industry, the cartoonist deems it “a valuable study that could potentially raise awareness within institutions and society, shedding light on an approximation of our reality of toil.”
He expresses strong criticism towards the handling of the Historical Memory and the Transitional period, which he views as not “as flawless as portrayed to us,” citing that “it did not symbolise a genuine reconciliation as it should have, hence the persistence of all the justice inadequacies, though not vengefulness, that are still emerging.” Bartolomé Seguí is troubled by the “resurgence” of the extreme right: “It instils a fear in me that we might not learn from our history and that the afflictions we believed we had overcome could resurface.”
