Artist of Wonderland Rahim Nawin and the Political Cartoon in 1960s Afghanistan

The 1960s witnessed the emergence of the greatest Afghan cartoonist, Abdul Rahim Nawin, during a time of fundamental change. The ratification of a new constitution in 1964 allowed unprecedented freedom of expression and paved the way for the emergence of independent newspapers and political parties. As a result Afghan society became rapidly politicized. Nawin established the newspaper Tarjomn or Interpreter, the country's first satirical newspaper. He published a great number of cartoons depicting the current political system and its success and shortcomings. This article examines Nawin's contribution to the establishment of political cartooning in Afghanistan set against the period of the Constitutional Decade and its institutions and how they operated.