Godfrey Mwampembwa, pen name Gado (1969) is a Tanzanian-born political cartoonist, animator and comics artist. [1] [2] He is the most syndicated political cartoonist in East and Central Africa, and for over two decades a contributor for Daily Nation (Kenya), The Standard (Kenya), New African (United Kingdom), Courrier International (France) as well as for Business Day and Sunday Tribune (both South Africa). He also produced cartoons for The East African, Le Monde , The Washington Times , Der Standard and Japan Times . [3]
He served as an editorial cartoonist at the Daily Nation [4] until he was fired in March 2016. [5] [6]
Godfrey Mwampembwa, or Gado as he is popularly known, was born on August 6th, 1969, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. [7]
Gado joined the Ardhi Institute in Dar es Salaam in 1991 to study architecture. After a year, he left the institute to become the Nation Media Group cartoonist and illustrator. [8]
Between 1996 and 1997, he studied animation at Fabrica, a communication research centre in Treviso, Italy. Thereafter, in 2000, he studied classical animation and film making at the Vancouver Film School, graduating in 2001. [9]
Gado designs funny cartoons on local regional and international issues, which he clarifies the impact of social, political and cultural conflicts have on the individual. With great simplicity he brings brittle elements up without going to the essential humanity of these topics. [10]
Gado opposes political interference and is a local pioneer who explores his limits. He is an inspiration for other artists through its contribution to the democratization and the freedom of expression in eastern Africa. He is the most syndicated cartoonist in East and Central Africa. [10]
In 2009, together with Marie Lora-Mungai, Gado co-founded Buni Media, an independent non-profit media and production company [11] that is known for the XYZ TV show that Gado created and produced. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
In 2016, the Nation Media Group, on whose publications Daily Nation and The East African Gado's cartoons had appeared for over two decades, refused to renew his contract over what appeared to be the result of blowback following the latter publication's suspension in Tanzania [20] after Gado's cartoon depicting then President Jakaya Kikwete in a compromising position surrounded by harems was published [21] [22] [23] . Gado then joined the Standard Group [24] where his editorial cartoons appeared in The Standard newspaper from 2016 through 2022. [25]
In 1996 he was awarded the International Olympic Media Award for print media, [26] and in 1999 was Cartoonist of the Year Kenya. [27]
In 2007 he was awarded the Prince Claus Award of the Prince Claus Fund in the Netherlands for the theme Culture and conflict. The jury praised him for "his courageous cartoons, which he humorously shows aspects of social and political conflicts, and an inspiration to the struggle of free expression." [28] [29]
Gado was one of 12 people who received the Visionaries Award in 2011 from the Ford Foundation. [30]
In 2014 and 2016, Gado was named as one of the 100 most influential people in Africa by TheNewAfrican, Africa’s most influential magazine. Together with cartoonist Zunar from Malaysia, Gado received the Cartooning For Peace Award by Kofi Annan on World Press Day, May 3, 2016. [31]
Gado is married to his wife Stephanie Uwingabe and, together, they have daughters Mwaji-Odeta and Keza-Anganile. [32] [33] [34]
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor; or a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. Someone who creates cartoons in the first sense is called a cartoonist, and in the second sense they are usually called an animator.
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons or comics. Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literary and graphic components of the work as part of their practice.
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr., commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip Pogo. He began his animation career in 1936 at Walt Disney Studios, contributing to Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo. In 1941, at the age of 28, Kelly transferred to work at Dell Comics, where he created Pogo, which eventually became his platform for political and philosophical commentary.
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current affairs in a national or international context. Political cartoonists generally adopt a caricaturist style of drawing, to capture the likeness of a politician or subject. They may also employ humor or satire to ridicule an individual or group, emphasize their point of view or comment on a particular event.
John Lewis Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips B.C. and The Wizard of Id. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society. In his later years, he was known for incorporating Christian themes and messages into his strips. Hart was referred to by Chuck Colson in a Breakpoint column as "the most widely read Christian of our time," over C. S. Lewis, Frank E. Peretti, and Billy Graham.
Jonathan Shapiro is a South African cartoonist, known as Zapiro, whose work appears in numerous South African publications and has been exhibited internationally on many occasions. He is the nephew of British magician David Berglas and cousin to Marvin Berglas, director of Marvin's Magic.
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Oliphant is an Australian-born American artist whose career spanned more than sixty years. His body of work as a whole focuses mostly on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particularly known for his caricatures of American presidents and other powerful leaders. Over the course of his long career, Oliphant produced thousands of daily editorial cartoons, dozens of bronze sculptures, as well as a large oeuvre of drawings and paintings. He retired in 2015.
King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles, and games to nearly 5,000 newspapers worldwide. King Features Syndicate also produces intellectual properties, develops new content and franchises, like The Cuphead Show!, which it produced with Netflix, and licenses its classic characters and properties.
James Mark Borgman is an American cartoonist. He is known for his political cartoons and his nationally syndicated comic strip Zits. He was the editorial cartoonist at The Cincinnati Enquirer from 1976 to 2008.
B.C. is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Johnny Hart. Set in prehistoric times, it features a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from various geologic eras.
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Patrick Chappatte is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist known for his work for Le Temps, NZZ am Sonntag, the German news magazine Der Spiegel, The New York Times International Edition and the French satirical newspaper Le Canard enchaîné. He also worked as an illustrator for the New York Times and as cartoonist for Newsweek. Many of his cartoons reflect events in Swiss and international news, such as the September 11 attacks, the rise of the Swiss People's Party, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Jen Sorensen is an American cartoonist and illustrator who creates a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events from a liberal perspective. Her work has appeared on the websites Daily Kos, Splinter, The Nib, Politico, AlterNet, and Truthout; and has appeared in Ms. Magazine, The Progressive, and The Nation. It also appears in over 20 alternative newsweeklies throughout America. In 2014 she became the first woman to win the Herblock Prize, and in 2017 she was named a Pulitzer Finalist in Editorial Cartooning.
Matt Bors is a nationally syndicated American editorial cartoonist and editor of online comics publication The Nib. Formerly the comics journalism editor for Cartoon Movement, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and 2020, and became the first alt-weekly cartoonist to win the Herblock Prize for Excellence in Cartooning.
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The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Animated political cartoons are the evolution of the editorial cartoon. The animated political cartoons are normally written in Flash.
Stephanie McMillan is an American political cartoonist, editorialist, and activist from South Florida. A granddaughter of the German commercial animator Hans Fischerkoesen and the sister of Alexander Fischerkoesen, McMillan aspired to become a cartoonist from the age of ten. During her high school years, she began organizing protests against capitalism and imperialism. The Comics Journal describes McMillan's comics and cartoons as being "on the far left" of the American political spectrum, and as being focused on "anti-corporate activism."