South African Comics: Instructive Diversity

South African comics have a steadily growing scene from what I found. Some like Kwezi are definitely in the back of people’s heads. But it turns out it goes back even further, some good, some not-so-good. There’s definitely some political intrigue, but also comics that reflect the diversity of South Africa as a whole.

South African Comics On Perceptions

Apparently it all started with a cartoonist named T.O. Honiball. After studying commercial art in Chicago, he brought comic strips to a local Arikaans newspaper Naspers in 1941. With the paper already doing political cartooning, the transition to comics was a guarantee.

Honiball’s most famous strip was Adoons-hulle. It’s a funny animal series featuring humanized baboons. I know what some of you are thinking: this white guy was a racist because he’s using “monkeys”, the racist slur for black people! But according to a journal, it’s a satirical look at Honiball’s countrymen. I don’t really know Honiball’s ideologies, but it’s safe to say these baboons aren’t color-coded. Especially since they were loved by all readers to the point of influencing the 1948 election for South Africa’s Nation Party. Not that Honiball tried to be political, he was drawing from real life.

But… for the 50s and 60s, I couldn’t find anything.

Subtle Propaganda, The Worst Kind

As for the 70s, there was one publisher that comes up called Afri-Comics featuring the superheroes Mighty Man and Tiger Ingwe. Tragically, this was more of the what some people might think of the baboon strip. These comics were made “to help educate the black man in the ways of Western society, social concerns and free enterprise.” So yeah, this was a five-year propaganda war against critics of the apartheid, translation: South African segregation.

Not by making the heroes into mouthpieces mind you, the creators were subtle. They usually took inspiration from folk tales and history lessons. As well as series writer Bettie Albert taking what school children, housewives, and workers would like to see in their heroes. The purpose was basically state-backed black nationalism to fight communism, something Malcom X would throw a fit at. You really can’t tell that these people wanted to influence US News Media. Apparently these were popular with a lot of people, but nowadays they’ve shown their age with dull plots and kinda dumb characters.

Besides the target audience wasn’t fooled and during the Sowento Student Uprising they burned down newsstands. This exposed the Muldergate campaign’s propaganda and the state embezzlements that funded it.

South African Comics Have Their Voices!

Thankfully there were those photo comics in the True Africa magazine in the same period. It featured plays that range from the comedy Chunkie Charly to historical Zulu reenactments. So yeah, this decade still has some dignity.

As for the 80s, it was an era of political upheaval. Reflecting this was the underground comix magazine Pre-Azanian Comics (PAX). Unlike the mandates, there really wasn’t much to censor or take down. Not because of the content or a lack of quality. Come on a campy freedom fighting vampire isn’t gonna get some politician to start a campaign? It’s because it wasn’t well circulated.

Plus there were plenty of artists who were reflecting the world around them. Some like Mogorosi Motshumi made a graphic novel called Initiation of this time showing how the Apartheid affected people.

Besides when the 90s roll in and apartheid loosens, strips like Madam & Eve and Bitterkomix shows up to comment/satirize mature topics. Both are still going on today, acting like an edgier The Nib. Or the more whimsical Mengelmoes where the changes taking place in South Africa were in a state of flux. Just because segregation wasn’t institutionalized anymore didn’t mean that and other issues were going away.

Heroes!…In Soccer!

So having something to share definitely made things a little easier. Take for example the country’s most popular sport: Association Football (or in Yankee speak: soccer). Titles like Supa Strikers and Soccer Warrior practically embody this change. They have a sense of unity with a bigger world now that barriers are no longer a problem while building on local character.

The South African Comics Mainstream

By the 2010s, the locals started to express their unique character with universal appeal. With advancements in technology, publishing South Africa’s heroes is easier than ever. For example, the Shaka series reminds the indigenous peoples there’s more to their home than just being oppressed. Not that there weren’t heroes closer to the present like in the anthology Basadi-Sadi. But why stop there when South African creatives come stateside with fantasy comics like Kariba?

And who can forget probably one of the most famous titles, Kwezi? Here the past and present collide where universally available tech like social media clashes with cultural heritage. Compared to Mighty Man, there’s enough dignity in this hero to be shared regardless of race or language. Maybe that’s why this comic became an international best-seller.

It seems that the South African comics scene has really taken off with events allowing for bigger cultivated audiences. Especially since this audience is no longer just local and creatives use the exposure to improve their storytelling for higher standards.

Things could always be better, as they tend to go. You know more efficient sales distribution, publicly/casually aware publishers to help get more support. Maybe webtoons will help with that. That’s how these tend to go.

Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.