About Me

Bisi Ogunbadejo, born 1950. I studied General Art at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria and Fine Art at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK,  specialising in sculpture and attended Creative writing course at Middlesex University, Middlesex, UK.

I taught Art at New Era Girls’ Grammar School, (1972-1976) and at The Polytechnic Ibadan, Eruwa campus where I served as head of Fine art department (1981-1983). My first editorial cartoon appeared in the Daily Express in 1973 and my weekly, page-long satirical cartoon column, Cracks and later, Watching Developments ran in the London-based West Africa magazine from 1981 till 2003 when the magazine closed.

I was invited to join the Guardian newspaper, Lagos at inception in 1983 and worked simultaneously as senior correspondent, editorial board member, and cartoon & Illustration editor. In addition to these responsibilities, I was appointed Group Art Editor to five titles in the Guardian stable in 1985-1991. Between 1988-1991, I edited Lagos Life,  a weekly society and Arts newspaper.

Returning to the UK in 1991, I worked as journalist, cartoonist, designer, illustrator, translator, publisher and editor, contributing to a wide variety of publications including the Guardian and New Age Newspapers.  I was translation consultant (Yoruba language) to several UK/international publishers, London boroughs and voluntary organisations. I authored a Yoruba version of Michael Rosen’s children book, “The Old woman and the pumpkin”. I published and edited Africaman, described as “Africa’s no 1 best-shelling cartoon and satirical magazine”, in 1994.” The web version of the magazine, The Fool’s Cap (Foolscap) has been online since 2000 (offline presently).

I returned to work in Nigeria in December 2007 as the Group Arts and Cartoon Director and editorial board member at Thisday Newspapers (Leaders & Company Limited. My editorial cartoons, From the Outside, Double Talk  and That'll Be The Day appear on the back page of Thisday four days a week (2007-2016). I am currently a Freelance Cartoonist, Creative Consultant, Artist and Journalist.

ART EXHIBITIONS 

Italian Embassy, Abuja – one-man Cartoon Exhibition, “Things Haven’t Really Changed”, 2009

The 12th Arctic Comics Festival, Finland, 1993 (group exhibition of African Comics/cartoons)

Mall Galleries, London –group exhibition (Sculpture & Drawings), 1981

Africa Centre, London –one-man exhibition (Sculpture & Drawings), 1980

New Market Centre, Leicester – Degree show, 1979

Artist Showcase, NTA Documentary, 1976

Nigerian Arts Centre, Lagos – One-man exhibition (Paintings and Drawings), 1975