This text is part of the special International Cooperation section
With The battles of Vandana Shiva, Quebec artist Val-Bleu expresses in words and colors her sensitivity to the cause of food sovereignty. A much-anticipated contribution to International Development Week.
In the 12-page album, the green tones of Indian forests dominate, brought to life by the patterns and shimmering colors of the saris. Vandana Shiva’s fights for food sovereignty is the comic strip that promotes, in Quebec, the 2024 edition of International Development Week (IDW). It is also the fruit of a tradition launched and maintained by the Quebec Association of International Cooperation Organizations (AQOCI) which coordinates the event in the province. “The SDI comic strip is always awaited by many of our members, particularly in the regions, who use it as an animation tool in libraries or schools,” explains Michèle Asselin, general director of AQOCI.
Ode to India
This year, the album features the work of Indian environmental activist, feminist and writer Vandana Shiva who dedicates her life to protecting traditional peasant agriculture. In order to inform the public of the career of this contemporary figure, the artist Val-Bleu was, it seems, not chosen at random. “AQOCI liked my file. And then I was particularly well placed because I worked a lot in India,” suggests the author.
Fascinated by Hinduism and the codes of Indian culture, Val-Bleu was co-coordinator of an artists’ residency in the precise region where Vandana Shiva grew up. “I was very interested in the idea of drawing this woman’s life. I had already watched a documentary about her,” confides the artist, who emphasizes having been particularly inspired by her work on the protection of indigenous seeds.
During her battles, which involve the fight against the GMO crops of agri-food giants, Vandana Shiva worked to promote the knowledge of women who hold traditional knowledge about agriculture. A commitment that earned him the Right Livelihood Award in 1993 (also called the “alternative Nobel Prize”). Today she heads the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resources as well as the Navdanya Association for Biodiversity Conservation, which she founded.
A long documentation work
In order to remain faithful to the activist’s story, Val-Bleu has carried out extensive documentation work, both on her life and on the visual aspects of the album, particularly on the clothing. “I worked a lot on fabrics and patterns. I was looking to do something visually interesting, but also representative of India: the overabundance of colors, the clash between traditional clothes rubbing shoulders with people in jeans… India as it is and not as we imagine it. »
When asked what awaits him next, the artist does not hide the hope of working on other projects of this type. “Perhaps I would like to make more activist comics. It’s a super interesting medium for popularizing concepts, for approaching people who wouldn’t read an essay on the subject. A dozen or so pages is fine. »
The album, available online, will be presented on February 7 during a fun 5 à 7 at the Maison du développement durable in Montreal.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.