Tanzania.
Tanzania
1967
Tanzanian comics grew from newspaper cartoons and humour magazines.
Christian Gregory drew Chakubanga for the Uhuru newspaper from 1967, and Phillip Ndunguru, chief cartoonist of Sani magazine, created characters such as Komredi Kipepe and Lodi Lofa whose style set the trend for twenty years from the early 1980s. From the late 1990s, cartoon weeklies such as Sanifu gave political cartoonists a new outlet, and they formed the Popular Association of Cartoonists in Tanzania in 2000. Tanzanian-born Gado, working from Nairobi, became the most syndicated political cartoonist in East and Central Africa.
12
15
1967
1960s
Artists from Tanzania in the archive.
Comics from Tanzania in the archive.
Chakubanga, the earliest comic from Tanzania in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Tanzania began.
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Tanzania in 3 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Tanzania.
3 chapters
Chapter 1
1967
to 1986
Chakubanga, Sani and Ndunguru
1967
to 1986
Chapter 01
Chakubanga, Sani and Ndunguru
Christian Gregory's Chakubanga ran in the Uhuru newspaper from 1967. Phillip Ndunguru became chief cartoonist of Sani in the late 1970s, when it was the only Tanzanian comics publication, and created Kazibure in Nairobi in 1983. He died in March 1986.
1986
to 1997
Chapter 02
New humour magazines
After Ndunguru's death, Ibra Radi Washokera and then John Kaduma drew in his style. Magazines such as Bongo and Tabasamu competed with Sani in the 1990s, and James Gayo's Kingo strip, which began in the early 1990s, became popular across East Africa.
1998
to today
Chapter 03
Political cartoons and PACT
In the late 1990s cartoon weeklies such as Sanifu gave openly political cartoonists like Masoud Kipanya, Kijasti and Fred Halla a new outlet. The Popular Association of Cartoonists in Tanzania started around 1998, was officially founded on 26 September 2000 and holds an annual exhibition on World Press Freedom Day. Gado, born in Dar es Salaam, has drawn for Nairobi papers since 1992.
The comics to know
- Chakubanga1967 · comic stripChristian Gregory. Early cartoon feature in the Uhuru newspaper.
- Sanicomics magazineVarious. Humour and comics magazine that carried Ndunguru's characters.
- Komredi Kipepecomic stripPhillip Ndunguru. Classic village character later reused by Tabasamu, Bongo and Tunu.
- Kazibure1983 · comic stripPhillip Ndunguru. Strip drawn for the Kenya Times; printed in Sani as Ndumilakuwili.
- Kingocomic stripJames Gayo. Strip from the early 1990s read in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.
- Sanifucartoon weeklyVarious. Weekly cartoon section that started in Majira newspaper.
The people to know
- Christian GregoryEarly Uhuru cartoonist who drew Chakubanga.
- Phillip Ndunguru1962 to 1986Pioneer comic artist whose characters shaped Tanzanian humour comics.
- James GayoBorn 1958Creator of the Kingo strip and magazine.
- Masoud KipanyaBorn 1972Leading political cartoonist; first cartoon published in 1989.
- GadoBorn 1969Tanzanian-born political cartoonist, the most syndicated in East and Central Africa.
- Fred HallaBorn 1975Political cartoonist and creator of the weekly strip Binti.