Can anyone translate this French writing?

[JaniceLongSchlong]

My friend has come across an original old cartoon draft image artwork. It's interesting and don't know the provenance or not where it is set.

Any clues? Will upload pic in a bit

Here are some pics - anyhelp deciphering would be most appreciated

Also the entire picture for wider context. Looks like Colonial types?

? le terroir
on va voila

I think! (Would make sense because terroir would rhyme with voila)

agree with on va, voila - we go, there we are!

Looks like le terrain (ground) to me tbh. Bit before that I can't read at all.

Sorry not much help.

@BIWI - like your interpretation

I thought it might be ....

P(D) iblay y le terrain
On va voleur...

Like a landgrab or expulsion of the inhabitants.

The bell and the trumpet have thrown me too, would it be a form of non-verbal communication?

Can't work out what's going on in the background either.
On the rhs is the guy who's standing in/on something raising a whip?

@Clary thank you 🙂

Have absolutely no idea what category I would post this image to on Mumsnet for a visual interpretation (art, war, history?) The 2 characters look like cariactures of English people, as it seems to be drawn by someone from another nationality.

Where are Les Parisiens de Mumsnet?

I think the first word might be "pillage" which has the same meaning in English and seems to reflect the picture!

Makes me think of the scramble for Africa - the background puts me in mind of the way the people were subjected to appalling treatment by the colonial powers in the period leading up to WWI. (About 1880-1914 if I remember my year 8 history lessons properly).

@JanglyBeads yes, in the background on the left hand side it looks like a male parent dragging their child.

Behind the front 2 men it looks like a donkey or mule with a person in front of it and one behind and then, as you say to the right hand side

Someone whipping a donkey (2) and someone pushing another out of the foreground.

It looks like it was dated Juin 1916 so very close to @NeverDropYourMooncup estimate.

Will try to get a better resolution pic of the writing. The characters in the background don't look particularly African though, I had thought possibly Asian.

The front 2 main characters look very exaggerated (maybe drawn by another nationality?)

Thanks & merci everyone for your feedback so far....

Ou sont Les Parissien(n)es?

On the Style and Beauty board

It wasn't a joke, but yes!

I also think "pillager le terroir, on va, voila"

Pillage/despoil the earth, let's go, done.

I think it says 'Pillage y le terroir' - I don't think it can be pillager, because that's the infinitive and it doesn't belong at the beginning of a sentence - I would say it's 'pillage' with an implied 'on' before it - and the 'y' is there to indicate the reference to a specific place where the plundering is to happen.

The second sentence is 'on va, voila' - which I would translate as 'let's go!'

So 'pillage/plunder the land - let's go!' is my best guess.

What a fascinating cartoon! It looks like the characters in the foreground are treating the violence in the background like a game, a bit of fun schoolboy sport - a critique of imperialism? I'm wondering if it's set in Asia as it's French - could it be a reference to Hong Kong, Vietnam or Cambodia, which were French territories at one point?

There seems to be a signature underneath the text - I can't make it out, but if we could decipher the artist that might reveal more information about what it's supposed to depict.

Thanks for your input, food for thought. Maybe former French colonies in India (Pondicherry)?.

Will see if can get a more detailed pic of the writing and whether can see the artist name on there.

First word could be ‘Tillage’ which would fit with ‘terroir’ in terms of working the land…