Mauritius.
Mauritius
1957
Mauritian comics grew out of a long tradition of newspaper caricature.
The first cartoon on record dates from 1841, and Gabriel Gillet, who signed Lancet, was the best-known caricaturist around 1900. Comic strips began in 1957 in the paper Action, where Roger Merven drew Pierre Kiroulle, and few albums appeared before the 2000s, among them the Creole parody Repiblik zanimo and Maumau le dodo in 1986. Laval Ng, who draws for French publishers, is the best-known Mauritian comics artist abroad.
16
22
1957
2000s
Artists from Mauritius in the archive.
Comics from Mauritius in the archive.
Pierre Kiroulle (Le trésor de Surcouf), the earliest comic from Mauritius in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Mauritius began.
bande dessinée
Mauritius in 4 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Mauritius.
4 chapters
Chapter 1
1841
to 1911
Caricature in the press
1841
to 1911
Chapter 01
Caricature in the press
The first recorded caricature appeared in 1841 in the paper Le Bengali, and about 90 periodicals, around thirty of them satirical, were published between 1840 and 1910. Evenor and William Crook launched Tohu-bohu in 1849, and Gabriel Gillet became the symbol of the era before he was tried after the riots of 1911, after which caricatures vanished from the papers.
1957
to 1978
Chapter 02
First comics
Action ran the strip Pierre Kiroulle by Roger Merven (Rog) from its first issue on 25 January 1957, and Jac took over in March 1958 with short strips. Repiblik zanimo, a Creole comic parody of Animal Farm, ran in the paper Libération from November 1974 to 1 April 1975 and was then sold as an album. In March 1977 a 32-page comic about Father Jacques Désiré Laval appeared as a supplement to La vie catholique.
1979
to 1998
Chapter 03
First original albums
Merven and Yvan Lagesse published the satirical album Comment vivre à Maurice en 25 leçons in 1979, and Ledikasyon pu travayer issued the Creole comic Manze pu lepep in 1984. Maumau le dodo by Jacques Germond and Merven followed in 1986, and Eric Koo Sin Lin published Vive la patrie in 1998.
1999
to today
Chapter 04
A new generation
A comics month run by the Alliance française from 1999 trained young artists, and the magazine Ticomix appeared in 2002. Laval Ng drew the fourth cycle of the French series Balade au bout du monde from 2003 to 2008, and Pov's L'Île Maurice racontée à mes petits enfants was a bookshop hit in 2008. In 2017 Laval Ng also drew a comic history of Mauritius.
The comics to know
- Pierre Kiroulle (Le trésor de Surcouf)1957 · comic stripRoger Merven (Rog). Five-issue strip in Action, seen as the start of Mauritian comics.
- Repiblik zanimo1974 · graphic novelRafik Gulbul (translator), artist unknown. Creole adaptation of Animal Farm, long seen as the first Mauritian album.
- Comment vivre à Maurice en 25 leçons1979 · graphic novelRoger Merven and Yvan Lagesse (Volcy). Satirical album that was reprinted several times.
- Maumau le dodo1986 · graphic novelJacques Germond and Roger Merven. Parody of the creation of the world as seen by dodos.
- Ticomix2002 · comics magazineLaval Ng and other young artists. Named the first Mauritian comics magazine, published by Les Arts Éditions.
- Balade au bout du monde (fourth cycle)2003 · comic book seriesLaval Ng and Pierre Makyo. French Glénat series continued by Laval Ng for four books from 2003 to 2008.
- L'Île Maurice racontée à mes petits enfants2008 · graphic novelPov and Jean Claude de L'Estrac. Considered the biggest bookshop success of the year 2008 in Mauritius.
The people to know
- Gabriel Gillet1872 to 1951Caricaturist who signed Lancet, 1872 to 1951; symbol of Mauritian caricature around 1900.
- Evenor CrookWith his brother William (signing Ego) launched Tohu-bohu in 1849.
- Roger MervenDied 1995Rog; drew the first Mauritian comic strip and co-created Maumau le dodo.
- Laval NgBorn 1972Best-known Mauritian comics artist abroad.
- Eric Koo Sin LinAngoulême-trained satirist of Mauritian multiculturalism.
- Annick SadonnetCartoonist who co-created a comic history of Mauritius.
More artists from Mauritius
More comics from Mauritius
All 22 comics- Histoire de Maurice: 1598-1767, premiers pas de la colonisation d'une île-carrefour2017 · graphic novel
- Renouveau mauricien1980 · comic strip
- Sandy Beach Café2005 to 2006 · comic strip
- Heureux Dodo2000 · graphic novel
- Cercles de mystère2012 · comic book series
- Baril de poudre: les aventures de Mario1999 · graphic novel
- Nous les Mauriciens2000 · graphic novel
- Jacques Désiré Laval, l'apôtre de l'Ile Maurice1977 · graphic novel
- Khalil Gibran2008 · graphic novel
- La Légende de Menala1970 · comic strip
- Bon dié béni1958 · comic strip
- Le père Jacques Laval et le journal de la mission à l'Île Maurice1978 · graphic novel