Thirty-five years after his first publication in The Times, Maurice Tanti Burlò explains the stories behind his favourite cartoons to Christian Peregin and reflects on how current affairs have shaped his personal and political beliefs

Is this social harmony? (December 4, 1977)

Mr Tanti Burlò, 76, began drawing for The Times in October 1977 to “get back at Mintoff” for the way Telemalta employees, such as him, were suspended without pay for supporting doctors, nurses and bankers on strike.

This cartoon shows an army of dissatisfied workers from all over Malta firing shots at a mean-looking Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, depicted as a bird.

Mr Tanti Burlò’s chosen pseudonym Nalizpelra (a schoolboy code’s version of his name) – also features in the cartoon as one of the disgruntled workers.

“I was so angry,” he says, recalling when he was suspended without pay for seven months as assistant head of programming at Rediffusion and then transferred to a garage in horrendous working conditions.

Showing progress to Progress Press (October 12, 1986)

This cartoon, published in the run-up to the 1987 election campaign, commemorated the burning of The Times’ building seven years earlier.

At the time, the Nationalist Party was promising “freedom” while Labour responded by talking about “progress”.

Mr Tanti Burlò immediately picked up on the irony that Labour supporters had set fire to Progress Press.

However, despite the actions by Labour thugs, Mr Tanti Burlò remains struck by the fact that he never received any complaints from Mr Mintoff about his cartoons.

Alf ’s wig (November 16, 1997)

Mr Mintoff only made contact a decade later, through a mutual friend, after this cartoon was published showing Mr Mintoff as a lion who had just eaten Prime Minister Alfred Sant, wig not included.

Mr Mintoff wanted the cartoon, so Mr Tanti Burlò set the price at Lm600 (€1,400), knowing he would not pay it.

Later, he agreed to give him a copy, in return for Mr Mintoff writing a short note in Mr Tanti Burlò’s book Blame It On Dom!

This cartoon sparked a discussion on whether Dr Sant’s infamous wig was fair game for political satire. Some were offended, while others praised it for being groundbreaking.

Toni Zarb as Mussolini (August 14, 2005)

Mr Tanti Burlò’s only cartoon to become the subject of a court case was this one depicting General Workers’ Union general secretary Tony Zarb as Fascist Italian ruler Benito Mussolini.

Mr Zarb won the case, but Mr Tanti Burlò did not lose any sleep, saying: “It didn’t really affect me in any way.”

He says the cartoon was published at a time when Mr Zarb was stamping his feet too hard.

Mr Zarb has since given permission for the cartoon to be published again.

Archbishop Eddie Fenech Adami (April 30, 2006, unpublished)

The Times was more careful with this unpublished cartoon depicting then President Eddie Fenech Adami as an Archbishop.

Toni Abela, now deputy Labour leader for party affairs, had suggested the cartoon when he met Mr Tanti Burlò in Valletta. It played on the fact that Dr Fenech Adami had just been appointed President after leaving the role of Prime Minister. The newspaper’s lawyers advised against publication since such representations of the President could be illegal if perceived to be offensive. Mr Tanti Burlò did not give the refusal to publish the cartoon a second thought and already had another lined up instead.

Pope Benedict Rottweiler (April 24, 2005)

He was pleasantly surprised that The Times published his cartoon depicting Pope Benedict XVI as a Rottweiler.

This was probably Mr Tanti Burlò’s most controversial cartoon and sparked a huge reaction from the newspaper’s readers, including pro-vicar Anton Gouder who wrote in to say he was “disgusted” by the comparison of the Pope to a dog.

Mr Tanti Burlò, who insists he never meant to be offensive, felt the need to write a letter to the Pope in which he begged forgiveness and claimed he only intended to depict him “as the strongest of guardians of the faith”.

Smiling about the incident, he says he was always struck by the Pope’s “shifty” eyes and politician-like nature.

Admittedly, Mr Tanti Burlò is not a very religious man. But he blames that on the “myths” he was taught as a child.

Muhammad Cartoons (October 9, 2006)

Though Mr Tanti Burlò does not shy away from religious commentary, he does draw a line when it comes to outright offensive material about sacred figures like Jesus or Muhammad.

This cartoon, calling for tolerance, was his take on the controversy that erupted over the Muhammad cartoons printed on a Danish newspaper.

“I don’t see the point of offending people in such a way and causing all this violence in the world,” he says, reflecting also on the current controversy about Muhammad depictions.

Stitching: Mum’s the word (July 4, 2010)

However, Mr Tanti Burlò remains adamantly against censorship and was particularly irritated when the play Stitching was banned by Maltese censors.

The producers took the case to court but lost in the first instance and are still awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

Mr Tanti Burlò, who describes himself as a liberal, says the civil court did not give sufficient consideration to the artistic merits of the play, which was only to be seen by people who “choose” to attend.

Gaddafi’s bloodbath (February 27, 2011)

International affairs, such as last year’s civil war in Libya, often feature on Mr Tanti Burlò’s cartoons. This one shows a ghost-like Muammar Gaddafi next to the new flag of Libya, dripping in blood.

“It was a bloodbath,” he recalls.

Recounting his memories of Col Gaddafi’s appearances in Malta, Mr Tanti Burlò says he was always uncomfortable with the Libyan dictator and breathed a sigh of relief when his reign came to an end.

Carnival satire (March 6, 2011)

Mr Tanti Burlò’s pet subject remains local politics. This cartoon, calling for political satire in carnival, was published a year before Culture Minister Mario de Marco found there was no law banning it, despite popular myth.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat features as a joker. What is Mr Tanti Burlò’s explanation?

“Whenever he says something, you can take it as a joke because next time he will say something else or denies that he said it.”

Yet Prime Minister Gonzi is depicted as a knight. Does this mean Mr Tanti Burlò is a Nationalist?

Although he admits that his “thinking” tends to be Nationalist, he refuses the label and insists on never having to do with any political party.

He only agreed to print cartoons in the PN newspaper il-Mument, he says, because they offered colour printing before The Times.

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