Why This Blog?

Why this blog?

Some of the most ardent followers of my cartoons – many for about 40 years, since The Daily Express, West Africa Magazine, the Guardian Newspapers, African Guardian, Prime People, Vintage People and Africaman  Comic magazine days – prevailed upon me to start this blog.

The reasons these long-suffering readers gave range from wanting to re-visit or re-read some of the recent cartoons which they might have read hurriedly or cursorily when they first encountered them in print; to wanting to be able to share with friends through the social media (since, for reasons best known to the management of the influential Thisday newspaper, my cartoons do not feature in the online edition of the paper).

Incidentally, at Thisday, I hold down the title of the Group Arts and Cartoon Director. This position allows me to draw editorial/political cartoons four times a week on the back page of the newspaper. It also allows me to sit on the editorial board - a storehouse of information driven by knowledgeable men and women. Members meet once a week and it is from here I occasionally draw my inspiration ....and er without fail, fill my stomach with the sumptuous buffet and choice wine provided after each meeting!

Also, some readers in the academics have written to request where they can find a body of my works for research purposes. Unfortunately, there isn’t a place like that! It is hard to believe that in the 40 odd years of professional cartooning, I don’t have a collection of my cartoons, numbering over four thousand pieces in one or two places, where everyone can easily reach (I am working on that, though!). So, what I have always done when people request for assistance is to send photocopies of whatever I can lay my hands on to them. Or to direct them to the foolscap online site, where a little more than a handful of selected pieces are on display. But unfortunately, the site has not been updated for years! As a matter of fact, it is offline at the moment for maintenance.  With this blog, at least all my recent cartoons are in one place. Now, that’s a start!