Pushing the Boundaries:
A Kenyan Cartoonist Explores a Nation in Conflict
By Alma Freeman
News of Kenya’s disputed presidential elections in December
2007, which resulted in more than 1,000 people killed and 300,000
displaced, filled newspapers and television screens across the
globe. As East and Central Africa’s most syndicated cartoonist,
Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado) faced a unique challenge of negotiating
the complexities of the conflict through cartoons.
“Editorial cartooning is a confrontational art, so a cartoonist
is always in conflict with either the authorities or the society
at large,” said Gado during the public lecture “Cartooning
in Conflict: Can Cartoons Help Bring Peace to the Political Crisis
in Kenya” in February.
Sponsored by The Halle Institute, Gado’s visit was a continuation
of the “Cartooning for Peace” forum held at Emory
in November 2007. The week-long event featured 10 acclaimed cartoonists
from Algeria, France, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Turkey, and the
United States for a series of public panels, class visits, and
public lectures on the topics of controversy, gender, conflict,
global health, and political leadership. Over 100 of their cartoons,
including 17 from Gado, were on display at the Schatten Gallery.
The brainchild of Le Monde’s editorial cartoonist Plantu,
the inaugural event of “Cartooning for Peace” was
held at the United Nations headquarters, co-sponsored by The Halle
Institute, in New York in 2006.
Although he was one of the participants in that inaugural event,
and has since participated in a number of other “Cartooning
for Peace” forums, Gado was unable to come to Atlanta in
November 2007 due to prior commitments to cover the presidential
campaign in Kenya at the time. This also meant that he was unable
to travel to the Netherlands in December 2007 to receive the Prince
Claus Award for his “courageous cartooning, for using humour
to expose aspects of social and political conflicts, and for his
inspirational role in the struggle for free expression.”
Instead Laetitia van den Assem, the Dutch ambassador to Kenya,
honored Gado at her residence in Nairobi with a gathering of over
300 people.
Born in Tanzania, Gado works as a freelance cartoonist in Nairobi.
Although his work explores a wide range of topics, from corruption
and terrorism to deforestation and HIV/AIDS, his most recent cartoons
offer commentary on the characters and issues surrounding the
presidential elections.
During times of conflict, said Gado, it is critical that a cartoonist
carefully examines the issues at hand before drawing a cartoon.
A cartoon’s potential to evoke conflict reached a pinnacle
in 2006 when protests broke out over cartoons depicting the Prophet
Muhammad were published in Danish newspapers. Well over 100 people
were killed as a result of the conflict. Although the issue has
largely quieted, threats against the offending cartoonist have
reignited concerns.
“As much as a cartoonist wants to arrogantly give his opinion,
it is always a situation where you really have to weigh the issues,
and decide to what extent do you consider [such issues],”
Gado noted. “[Cartooning] is not only a conflict of interest
for me, but a conflict of my very existence.”
During his visit, Gado also visited classes hosted by Emory professors
where he spoke to students about his career as an editorial cartoonist,
the political situation in East Africa, censorship, corruption
in leadership, drawing technique, and more.
A regular contributor to the Daily Nation (Kenya), New
African (U.K.), Courier International (France),
Business Day (South Africa), and Sunday Tribune
(South Africa), his work has also been published in Le Monde,
Washington Times, Der Standard, and Japan Times.
In addition to his published work, Gado holds a free drawing workshop
every Monday at his office for young, aspiring cartoonists in
an effort to encourage them to pursue a trade that might otherwise
be considered unattainable.
“Cartoonists can help push the boundaries in Africa,”
he said. “That is one of the small benefits of being a cartoonist,
you are able to portray issues, and in a small way, educate the
masses and help fight for justice.”
Gado joined the Ardhi Institute in Tanzania to study architecture
in 1991, but left one year later to become the editorial cartoonist
and illustrator of Nation Media Group, the largest media house
in East and Central Africa. Before joining Nation, Gado freelanced
with the Tanzanian publications Daily News, Business Times,
and The Express. Gado has also published three books:
Abunuwasi, a short story comic book, Democrazy!, and The End of
An Error, and the Beginning of a New One!, both collections of
his editorial cartoons.
Passing through the CNN headquarters on his way to an interview
by Femi Oke for the program “Inside Africa,” Gado
overheard encouraging news of a possible power sharing deal between
Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila
Odinga from overhead television monitors.
“This should be fun to draw,” Gado said with a sigh
of relief, chuckling as he walked towards the studio.
Alma Freeman is the communications specialist for the Office of
International Affairs and The Halle Institute.
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