We’re taking a look back at the pioneering nephew of King Ibrahim Njoya of Bamoun, Cameroon who was a talented artist & Africa’s 1st Comics Artist during colonial-era Cameroon.  He was born in the late 1800’s in the Bamum kingdom of Cameroon and is also known by the same name as his uncle who recognized his artistic talents at an early age. King Ibrahim Njoya summoned him for many artistic works including overseeing the re-construction of his palace after being destroyed by a fire in 1913.

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As a comics artist he drew scenes of history and routine daily life of Bamum culture with juxtaposed images, sequential storylines, and intricate patterned borders (as seen in the image above). In this workshop Multi-Media Artist, Natasha Talanje will be taking a page from ‘Njoya by teaching the use of comics as an art form in the preservation of history.

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Attendees will be introduced to the basics of creating comics with an exercise challenging them to document a routine process, e.g., a morning routine… cleaning, arriving home, going shopping, etc. Mimicking ‘Njoya’s style, participants will work with crayons and markers only, and in the end, design a border. The workshop serves to not only share history of a pioneering African comics artist but also provide a space of meditation and self -reflection for the attendees.