Cameroonian comics! Going through the digital globe, I did not expect to find this much stuff. Probably because the hype around African comic books died down a few years ago. There are still plenty of strips and comic books around the continent. But anywhere that’s not Nigeria doesn’t usually have enough passion to spread. Little did I realize, Cameroon has a big way of showing itself off. From the sides of newspaper strips, striving for local support, and a publisher at the very top of it all. Enough for artists from here to get the DC Comics spotlight.
Cameroonian Comics: The Opposing Strips
Cameroon’s first comics naturally come from newspaper strips. Though, history paints them in two colors. First, there’s the colonial attitudes from Ger… uh sorry France. You know racist outlooks like comparing natives to chimps. But then there’s the ones where the locals make their dignity.
The one with the most influence was Ibrahim Njoya. Thanks to working under his Sultan cousin, his artwork feels like epic tapestries. Everything that was supposed to be used for religion, cartography, or calendars became a way to display and preserve Bamum culture. So unique that the appeal impresses even the colonizers, enough to put the catalogue looking stuff in their museums.
Don’t worry, native museums and art schools were around too.
…Third Color
Those might have led to more strips like Thomas Durand Kiti’s The Adventures of San Monfong. This La Gazette featured cop was the first Cameroonian comics hero. But it’s safe to say Kiti is more of a supporter of free expression since he drew caricatures of then President Ahmadou Ahidjo. Who? Unifier of post-colonial Cameroon… but in Neo-Imperial fashion. You know working with some of the oppressors for a one-party policy.
Where was I? Oh right. Kiti tried to continue the Cameroonian comics scene with his own institution. But he didn’t have the the funds to keep it going.
Thankfully more support came from other newspapers and their distribution. The 90s especially with for pushing for more uncensored work. Nothing adult so much as liberal use of caricatures and dark humor.
Cameroonian Comics For The Big Kids
Wonder if any of that dark humor went into the first specialized comics publisher. Editions Akoma Mba is mostly aimed at kids, but that doesn’t they treat their audience like children. One of their most popular comics, Le trio à problèmes deals with a serious situation. They made fun of a sickly old man instead of helping him and got arrested for being nuisances. Plus there’s plenty of more mature content. Again not the adult X-rated stuff, more like intense crime dramas such as Caty or adventure fantasy like Aliya.
And that’s just in the modern day. One group, Le Collectif A3 had to make a few bold steps to stand out. Their magazine Bitchakala reached a huge audience by speaking their literal language. The cheap prices didn’t hurt either. Some of the artists like Yannick Deubou got famous enough to join in Visions d’Afrique. A big reaching project to tell heavier stories like the effects of colonization… you gotta go big somehow.
Pays off too. This group gets so famous, they create the first Cameroonian comics event, Mboa BD Festival. All for fans in and out of Cameroon to see what so many creatives have got. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is what drives a few big pushes.
What Cameroon’s Got
Like say, the Afropolitan Comic virtual exhibit. This is a cultural expression project that got funding from parties like a… French Institute? In any case, this infra-continental project got stories from across Africa. The Cameroonian Comics are mostly regional history or new takes on folklore.
Americans also funded a Cameroonian Comics grant program. What for? To point out local problems that lead to extremism. Not to mention encourage free speech, debate, and discourse to de-escalate that. Helping out the economy works too.
THE Cameroonian Comics
One party that continues to keep the comics’ pages turning is Zebra Comics. This is the publisher with the artist who got to collaborate with DC. But what makes them so special? Probably their premiere title Anaki. It’s about a girl trying to escape an inquisition trying to wipe her out in a science fantasy world. Why? Because she’s a demigod the inquisitors want to hide the existence of. With the Webtoon style presentation and an ever growing library, the subscriptions feel worth it.
The wide reach and funds are nothing to sneeze at since limited funding can slow things down. Especially without a direct local market for comics. Plus the comics have to be as accessible as possible in location and price. If payment and schedules are anything like Webtoon or GlobalComix, that’s a tall order for sustainability. It’s why some of these creatives want to go into animation. Because at least it’s easier to keep track of where everything’s showing up that way.
Better Little, Than Too Little
Cameroonian comics has some of the richest looks into a place that I would have missed. From how artists make the effort to keep their culture’s dignity around colonization to defying other odds. Speaking out against dictators, nurturing generational fanbases, adopting new technologies despite the risks. It’s no wonder why DC wanted to work with a local artist for one of their notable characters. Hopefully there’s more where this came from.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.