TEXT: LAURA SÁNCHEZ
PAZ/МИР: cartoon solidarity
More than sixty internationally renowned authors have joined forces to create the solidarity comic PAZ/МИР, through which they intend to raise funds for the NGOs World Central Kitchen (chef José Andsrés) and Doctors Without Borders, to aid them in their work helping Ukrainian refugees. A campaign you can support through the Verkami platform.
The idea came from the scriptwriter David Braña, coordinator of this anthology, who decided to unite the talent of many of his colleagues to do his bit for these organizations: “Water and food are basic resources for every human being and their daily lives, regardless of the situation in which they find themselves”, explains Braña. “War amplifies everything and all those things that are taken for granted for survival become more important, if that is possible. Not only water and food, but shelter, cold, heat, the destruction of the region, healthcare… In short, human support in an absolutely dehumanizing and terrifying situation. Any gesture, any resource, food, blanket, euro that can be delivered is one more step towards protection and a clear message that “you are not alone”. I also believe that the psychological aspect is extremely important in these cases.”
The result of this effort is a 116-page work that brings together 62 authors in 29 comic strips and 10 heartbreaking, cruel, emotional and demonstrative illustrations, with a spectacular cover by Santipérez. This set of images brings us closer to the panorama of war in general and Ukraine in particular, through the eyes of innocent children and adults.
David Braña already has experience in charitable projects in support of Down’s Syndrome sufferers and refugees from the Syrian exodus, as well as coordinating other publications such as the anthology Dark Hearts and the magazine El arca de las historietas, on which he also worked as an editor.
At the request of the cow: recipes to help La Palma
The beef cattle sector in Spain, through its association PROVACUNO, has launched A pedir de vaca [At the request of the cow], a charity book that aims to raise funds to help the recovery after the damage caused by the eruption of the volcano on La Palma. The book features beef recipes from 27 Michelin-starred chefs who have put their enthusiasm and creativity at the service of La Palma.
The recipes in the book have been created by Martín Berasategui, Joan Roca, Jesús Sánchez, Paco Pérez, Ángel León, Paolo Casagrande, Ricard Camarena, Diego Guerrero, Fran Martínez, Luis Valls, Iván Cerdeño, Juanlu Fernández, Javier Estévez, Rafa Centeno, Miguel Ángel de la Cruz, Kisko García, Javier Aranda, Joel Castanyé, Israel Ramos, Fernando del Cerro, Iñigo Urrechu, Mariano Andrés, Julius Biernert, Carlos Moreno, Dieu Thao, Juanmi Carrasco and David Montero.
This initiative seeks to refocus the spotlight on La Palma, months after the eruption, now that the drama of the families who have lost everything is no longer the top news story.
Beyond its social goal, the book offers readers beef recipes for a “healthy and balanced diet”. In this sense, the authors also want to highlight the value of the sector, which is “committed to the environment” and helps to “preserve the ecosystem”.
Stars against waste
Seventeen percent of the food available to consumers ends up in the trash of homes, stores, restaurants and other food services. Specifically, about 931 million tons of food was wasted around the world 2019, without taking into account the losses generated during production and transport. This is according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). While these huge quantities of food are being squandered, 690 million people (almost 9% of the global population) are suffering from hunger.
For this reason, AECOC, the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Distributors is presenting the book: Estrellas contra el desperdiciar [Starts Against Waste], the first book of recipes by Michelin-starred chefs written for charity. This work brings together 30 recipes for using up food that have been created and donated selflessly by Spain’s leading chefs, and it invites the public to reflect on the value of food, as well as on the importance of not wasting it.
In addition to discovering recipes from chefs such as Ferran Adrià, Carme Ruscalleda, Arzak, José Andrés or Susi Díaz among others, all the profits from the sale of the book will go to FESBAL (the Spanish Federation of Food Banks) for the purchase of food. “Avoiding food waste is one of the actions that we can all take to move towards a more sustainable consumption model and reduce the emissions we generate. Estrellas contra el desperdicio aims to encourage us as consumers to value food”, AECOC explains.