Black Cartoonists Making Their Mark and Combating Colonialism

    

 Summary           

        The issue in that popular comics in Africa were created by white men and they often portrayed black people offensively. Some black africans decided to create their own comics. The French led, Year of the Comic festival was hosted online because of the pandemic and allowed black comics to reach a wider audience across the world.

Analysis

        Black people are often portrayed poorly even today. Racism is still a huge issue and some Africans have tried to combat the influence of colonialism up to today by drawing cartoons. Joëlle Épée Mandengue is a African woman who grew up with Disney cartoons, she related to Ariel because they were both fighting to meet the expectations she had for her own life and trying to be something in a world they don't belong in. She realized that the cartoons were created by white men and she wanted to create something that she, as a black woman, and other Africans, could relate to more. She has created many comics and her signature cartoon, "The Diary of Ebène Duta," has a scene where one off Duta's classmates says that “She speaks really good French, for an African.” These are examples of how Racism and Colonialism still impact people today.

Discussion Question

What is something you have seen that is the result of or affected by colonialism today?