I originally wrote an idea to create African-centric animation, but I'm now thinking that a comic book is a simpler, more logical stepping stone. Reason being it's easier to get done, and yet just as powerful of a medium for Africa. Like animation, there is a dearth of comic books. And like animation, Africans really want to have them[3]. There is some debate on whether comics will stick with African youth today[1]. However, the fact still is that the majority of African youth, 3 out of 5 by one estimate[2], are jobless and have tons of time on their hands. A model example is Shujaaz which is a Kenyan comic written in Swahili or some slang thereof called sheng. Shujaaz uses Kenyan artists and writers. It strives to promote awareness, active participation in local development and overall integrity, health and wellness among the youth. There is also a selection of up and coming African comics, primarily by Nigeria artists[5], some of which are available as e-books.
 |
All-Negro Comics, 1947 |
There is an African-American history with comics. I only found this out today after watching a PBS History Detectives flick on the same
[4]. Turns out that during the heyday of American comics in the 1950's an African-American artist
Alvin Hollingsworth illustrated
Negro Romance with a storyline created by Fawcet Comics editor Roy Ald. This was an experiment and hence very rare. Again, another case of Africans and their descendants trailing behind the artistic and technological advances of mainstream culture. One African-American saw this and had a dream to create a black owned comic company, with black writers, artists and editors serving a predominantly black audience. In 1947 Orrin Cromwell Evans published
All-Negro Comics. Unfortunately, it appears the comic died out prior to the Civil Rights Movement and only included a single issue. This typifies the challenges blacks face in starting companies and realizing their ideas, those being money, resources and expertise. Part of the dialogue for African development needs to center on methods to build expertise, gather and maintain knowledge, and achieve economic self sufficiency.
This paragraph is devoted to challenges facing an attempt to create a modern day African-Centric comic. This is important to understand practical limitations. As hinted at in one of the Nairaland forums
[1], comics are not as popular as they used to be and hence difficult to make economically viable. This makes it nearly impossible to start off with a complete supply chain of paid, professional writes, drawers, inkers and painters. However, if folks are willing to do it as volunteer work, then at least the spirit and power of African-Centric story telling would live on. Make-shift aspirants have available to them a diverse suite of desktop publishing software and photo editing software, plus home printers capable of printing simple
saddle-stitched comic books and magazines. A small group of individuals with a little time to learn the desktop skills and create prototypes could easily make it happen. On my office wall is an African-American history short comics calendar that my church in New Jersey has given me for the past two years. A similar model of benevolence may work as a starting point here.
Afro-centric Comics:BlackGirlNerds,
Comics, black superheroines,
HomeBlack Panther,
Black heroes in comics,
WikiJAND,
Just another Nigerian Dram, UK,
HomePeep Game Comix,
Showcase African American comics,
HomeSheena C. Howard,
Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation (2013),
HomeAshley A. Woods,
Niobe comic,
HomeAlitha Martinez,
Marvel and DC artist, Marvel,
LinkBrandon Easton,
Agent Carter,
LinkJimmie Robinson,
Image Comics,
LinkThe Comic Republic,
Nigeria, Jide Martin, African woman superheroes,
Home
