picha: african comic
¨Picha¨ is the Swahili word for drawing and a corruption of the English word ¨picture¨.
African comics are not familiar to us. But, little by little, things are reaching us. And, of course, France is the bridge between Africa and Europe. The French love bds (bande dessinées) and at one time that took them to their colonies. So the starting point for African comics is French ones. French comic tendencaies and new influences also reach Africa (manga, grafic novels...) and, in recent years, the rise of underground, social and artistic comics has been noticeable. However, the African authors combine all of these influences with their reality. The result is rough comics full of corruption and criticism; cartoons which bear witness to changeable, savage societies; wastelands which bring prehistory and the 21st century together as one.
At the same time, proving that comics are a true reflection of reality, African comic writers talk about their customs and beliefs. This combination tells us about daily life in Africa. Contrary to what is often believed, and to what we imagine, African comics are mostly urban. The stories we're told come from the streets and are based on everyday life. Through these comics, we have the chance to get to know an unknown Africa which the media doesn't show us and a reality which cinema deforms. There are many authors, bearing in mind that we are talking about a single continent. In Senegal, there's a tv programme about Googoorlu, a comic character; there are numerous authors in South Africa, and the readers include the very poorest people; Litu, a draughtsman from Kenya, uploads his work onto the Internet (www.theshikwekwes.com); and perhaps the most striking of all is the Ivory Coast's Margarite Abouet's ¨Aya de Yopougon¨ series.
As we've said, there are more and more comic festivals and magazines. What's more, comics can be produced very cheaply in Africa. They're suitable for people with little formal education, and each comic magazine and collection can be seen by many pairs of eyes (in Ethiopia, for example, they decided to run the campaign against Aids using a comic.) It may not be a great business opportunity, but comics have a lot to say and show us about the Africa of the future.
AYA DE YOPOUGON
The collection of comics by Margarite Abouet tells us the story of a young girl who lives in a happy town in Ivory Coast. This comic stands up to the stereotypes about violence and illness coming from Africa. Margarite tells us about the things that happen to Aya, the main character, every day, with the help of the French draughtsman Clement Oubrerie. ¨After reading the four pages about what's happening to Aya, you don't think about Africa, they're stories that could happen anywhere in the world. I was born in Abidjan, in the Yopougon district. Streets full of dust, poor housing ... But the district was lively and full of solidarity. However, that was in the 70's, when I was a child, and I'm not blind, I know that isn't the reality in many parts of Africa, but I'm talking about what I know¨. Margarite Abouet is 39. Now she lives in Paris and she has sold more than 300,000 copies of her work. Aya's adventures have been translated into 12 languages, in 2006 she was given first prize at Angouleme. ¨My life changed. I stopped working as a legal adviser, and nowadays editors chase me. I'm happy¨. In 2011, Aya's paper adventures are going to be used to make a film. At present, she's working on the story of a Parisian girl, and we know the title: Wellcome. ¨ I can also write about white characters, or didn't you imagine that?¨.
www.africacomics.net
At the same time, proving that comics are a true reflection of reality, African comic writers talk about their customs and beliefs. This combination tells us about daily life in Africa. Contrary to what is often believed, and to what we imagine, African comics are mostly urban. The stories we're told come from the streets and are based on everyday life. Through these comics, we have the chance to get to know an unknown Africa which the media doesn't show us and a reality which cinema deforms. There are many authors, bearing in mind that we are talking about a single continent. In Senegal, there's a tv programme about Googoorlu, a comic character; there are numerous authors in South Africa, and the readers include the very poorest people; Litu, a draughtsman from Kenya, uploads his work onto the Internet (www.theshikwekwes.com); and perhaps the most striking of all is the Ivory Coast's Margarite Abouet's ¨Aya de Yopougon¨ series.
As we've said, there are more and more comic festivals and magazines. What's more, comics can be produced very cheaply in Africa. They're suitable for people with little formal education, and each comic magazine and collection can be seen by many pairs of eyes (in Ethiopia, for example, they decided to run the campaign against Aids using a comic.) It may not be a great business opportunity, but comics have a lot to say and show us about the Africa of the future.
AYA DE YOPOUGON
The collection of comics by Margarite Abouet tells us the story of a young girl who lives in a happy town in Ivory Coast. This comic stands up to the stereotypes about violence and illness coming from Africa. Margarite tells us about the things that happen to Aya, the main character, every day, with the help of the French draughtsman Clement Oubrerie. ¨After reading the four pages about what's happening to Aya, you don't think about Africa, they're stories that could happen anywhere in the world. I was born in Abidjan, in the Yopougon district. Streets full of dust, poor housing ... But the district was lively and full of solidarity. However, that was in the 70's, when I was a child, and I'm not blind, I know that isn't the reality in many parts of Africa, but I'm talking about what I know¨. Margarite Abouet is 39. Now she lives in Paris and she has sold more than 300,000 copies of her work. Aya's adventures have been translated into 12 languages, in 2006 she was given first prize at Angouleme. ¨My life changed. I stopped working as a legal adviser, and nowadays editors chase me. I'm happy¨. In 2011, Aya's paper adventures are going to be used to make a film. At present, she's working on the story of a Parisian girl, and we know the title: Wellcome. ¨ I can also write about white characters, or didn't you imagine that?¨.
www.africacomics.net
