Tuesday, May 17, 2011

African Cartoonists In Clean Sweep In Somalia Competition

Alphonce Omondi, 1st Prize


Amin Amir, 2nd Prize


Damien Glez, 3rd Prize


Cartoonists either based in or originally from Africa have made a clean sweep of the prizes on offer during the inaugural edition of the Hadaf Somalia International Cartoon Competition.

The competition was organized by the Association of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI).

Alphonce Omondi, a Kenyan cartoonist whose works are published by The Star newspaper in Nairobi, was declared the overall winner. He bags the $3,000 first prize.


Amin Amir, who is originally from Somalia but now practices his craft in Canada, was a close second followed by Damien Glez who is based in Burkina Faso. They each get $1,500 and $750 respectively.


The competition was the first of its kind on Somalia in over two decades and attracted over 800 entries from 265 cartoonists living in 50 countries around the world. 11 Somali cartoonists, some of whom still live and work in Somalia, were among the participants. A selection of the cartoons was put on display at The GoDown Arts Centre in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, from 2-30 April, 2011.


Katuni’s General Secretary, Patrick Gathara, congratulated the winners saying this was a great achievement for cartoonists on the continent.


“I wish to thank all who participated. This goes a long way to show that cartooning in Africa is alive and kicking and deserves to take pride of place among the continents’ other achievements,” he said.


The competition focused on the achievements of, and challenges facing, the Somali peace process and most of the cartoonists identified the Al Qaida-linked extremist group, Al Shabaab, as the main stumbling block to peace in the war-torn country. Some, though, were also critical of Somali politicians and the country’s Transitional Federal Government.


“We hope to make this an annual event since cartooning is an effective means to capture popular sentiment and initiate dialogue,” said Mr. Gathara adding that KATUNI hoped to be able to exhibit the cartoons in Mogadishu.

Friday, January 28, 2011

HADAF Somalia Cartoon Competition

The Association of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI) invites you to participate in the

HADAF Somalia Cartoon Competition.

Theme: The search for peace in Somalia: Achievements and Challenges

1st Prize: $3000
2nd Prize: $1500
3rd Prize: $750

Competition Rules

* The maximum number of entries you may submit is 5.
* Deadline for receiving cartoons is Monday 14 March, 2011
* All entries should be without any kind of frame and must not be folded
* Each entry must be accompanied by a short biography and/or CV as well as the name and contact details of the cartoonist.
* Submitted works may be put on exhibition and used in future publications.
* The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into it.
* Submitted works will not be returned.
* By participating, you grant the organizers the rights to publish and use the submitted artworks in any form including:

a) Reproduction and dissemination in printed form for all editions (e.g. study edition, school edition, special edition) and in unlimited print-runs (printing right). The printing right embraces in particular hard-cover editions, paperback editions, reprints, magazines, newspapers, collected works, via all distribution channels such as retail bookshops, other retailers selling books, book clubs, open and closed user groups and in all formats.

b) Electronic/digital storage and making accessible (including in databases) by means of digital or other storage or data transmission technology, with or without intermediate storage, in such a way that users have access from a place and at a time selected individually by them and can download, play back, interactively use and/or pass to third parties this work via PC, eBook, mobile telephone or other wired or wireless appliances, for example via the internet, UMTS, cable, satellite or other transmission paths (online right).


How to Enter:

Digital copies of the cartoons may be sent to katuni@gmail.com and should be in JPEG format with a resolution of at least 300 dpi.


Original artworks or clear prints (no photocopies) should be placed in an envelope marked “Hadaf Somali Cartoon Competition” and either sent to:


Hadaf Somali Cartoon Competition,

P.O. Box 2074

Village Market 00621, Nairobi, Kenya



or dropped off at one of the following venues:


Alliance Francaise de Nairobi, Loita/Monrovia streets, Nairobi

4D Innovative Ltd, 3rd Floor, Revlon Plaza, Kimathi St., Nairobi.

GoDown Arts Centre, Dunga Rd., Industrial Area, Nairobi.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Cartooning Europe

2009 European Film Festival
Calling All Cartoonists 



The Assocation of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI) invites you to participate in our latest cartoon exhibition on the theme "Cartooning Europe". This exhibition will explore Kenyan attitudes towards, and perceptions of, Europe and Europeans and selected cartoons will be exhibited at the Alliance Francaise during the European Film Festival from 12th to 31st May 2009 in Nairobi and at Alliance Française in Mombasa from 2nd to 7th June 2009. Cartoonists across Kenya are encouraged to send their cartoons and caricatures on any aspect of European society.

EXHIBITION RULES:
1) Participation is open to all professional and amateur cartoonists.
2) Submitted cartoons are to be either A4-Size (21 OX297mm) or A3-Size (420X297). 
3) Digital copies submitted via email should be 300 dpi resolution and in JPEG format. 
4) Cartoons may be either black-and-white or colored.
5) The deadline for receving artworks is Friday 1st May 2009.

Cartoons may be sent via email to katuni@gmail.com

Original artworks should be marked "Cartooning Europe" may be sent via post to:

Patrick Gathara, 
P.O Box 3613-00200, Nairobi

Alternatively, submissions may be dropped off at either 

Communicating Artists Limited, 
3rd floor, Revlon Towers, 
Kimathi Street, Nbi. 

or 
Alliance Francaise de Nairobi 
Loita/Monrovia Streets, Nbi

Monday, November 03, 2008

Picking Up the Pieces - The Book Launch


In March this year, the Association of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI), the Goethe-Institut and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) joined hands to hold a cartoon competition on the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in the aftermath of the disputed Presidential elections of 27 December 2007. The competition elicited cartons from cartoonists across the country and these have now been published in a book set to be launched at 4.00pm on Friday, 7th November at the Goethe-Institut, Nairobi.

The book, entitled “Picking Up the Pieces”, has been produced in collaboration with Mvule Publishers and will be available to the public at retail outlets for a mere Kshs. 300 per copy.

Featured cartoonists include GADO (Daily Nation), MADD (Standard), KHAM (Standard), Victor Ndula (Nairobi Star) and Patrick Gathara (Gathara’s World) as well as competition winners Mwaura Kirore, Kennedy Kaburu, Alphonse Otieno and Elly Maloba. 

Monday, September 08, 2008

Cartoon Competition: Journeys Without Borders

CARTOON AND COMIC STRIPS COMPETITION:

JOURNEYS WITHOUT BORDERS

ORGANISED by CIR (Consiglio italiano per i rifugiati, Italian Council for Refugees) in collaboration with AFRICARTOON, for cartoonists from the South of the world or refuges/immigrants in Europe (each participant must send a brief curriculum vitae and his/her contacts).

DRAWINGS for the competition: cartoons or strips which illustrate the theme of the competition or part of it.

SEND THE DRWINGS before the 15th of September 2008, possibly in a digital format to both the following email addresses: ginobrs@libero.it and marisapaolucci@tin.it,

or send the original (which shall not be returned) to the following postal address:

Marisa Paolucci, via Rastrelli 167, 00128 Roma, Italy.

THEME OF THE COMPETITION

The new explorers of the Third Millennium go everywhere, to search for new dreams and a chance to live. Comic strips and cartoons tell stories of immigrations, human rights violated and integration into pluralistic societies, to denounce the problems of the Third Millennium and open new ways of hope. They show the difficulties of survival, not only in the countries of origin but also in those of arrival. All this in the context of the celebration of the 60 years of Un Declaration on Human Rights, when after 60 years millions of people still must wander around the world searching and struggling for their own rights and basic needs.

  1. Glimpses without borders: the negated human rights of invisible man and women. Global injustice, wars, civil and political rights, basic needs. The struggle of those staying behind.
  2. Invisible paths: the silent journeys of peoples running away. It is not only a question of running away, but also the courage to look for new ways.
  3. Refugees because of others’ decision: the right to political asylum. The difficulties to prove that you are in danger of life in your own country of origin and that you need to be welcome in the country of arrival.
  4. Foreigners is your destiny: difficulties and successes in the countries of arrival, struggling towards a new multi-ethnic society. Racism, negated rights, integration, multi-cultural society.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  1. The best drawings will be part of an exhibition on immigration and human rights “Journeys without borders” which will be in “Lucca Comics and Games” (100.000 visitors, the most important event of this type in Italy) from the 18th of October to the 2nd of November 2008, then in Rome during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Un Declaration on Human Rights in December 2008; during 2009 the exhibition will travel and be exhibited around all Italy .
  2. The best drawing will receive a money prize of the value of 500 euro.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Picking Up the Pieces Competition Winners

The following are the winning cartoons from the Picking Up the Pieces cartoon competition. These and other cartoons submitted for the competition can be viewed at the Goethe-Institut Library Lounge on Monrovia St., Nairobi.


First Place Winner
By Mwaura Kirore




Second Place
By Kennedy Kaburu


Joint Third Place
By Alphonse Omondi



Joint Third Place
By Elly Maloba

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Picking up the Pieces: Cartooning the Post-Election Crisis

Over the last few weeks, Kenya has witnessed post-election violence on an unimaginable scale. As efforts to resolve the political stalemate continue apace, there is need for the Kenyan society to initiate dialogue on the root causes of this violence and also to provide alternative avenues for the people to air their grievances without resorting to force.
The Association of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI), the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the Goethe Institut have organized a cartoon competition entitled “Picking up the Pieces” in hopes of contributing towards the identification of a lasting solution to the problem.
The goals of this competition are to identify the reasons for the violence and propose ways out of the crisis on the basis of the following questions:
1) What are the root causes of the violence?
2) How have our leaders reacted to crisis?
3) What is the way forward?
The competition has been open to all professional and amateur cartoonists throughout the country. All the country's top cartoonists (including the Daily Nation's GADO, MADD and KHAM of the Standard and Victor Ndula of the Nairobi Star) as well as a large number of other lesser-known-but-by-no-means-less-given-to-cutting-satire cartoonists have elected to participate and their works will be on show at the Goethe Institut for two months starting 7th March 2008. Also participating are cartoonists from around the world who have sent in their cartoons on the crisis as they viewed it from their various countries. The exhibition provides a unique, tragicomic and compelling look at the events of the last two months through the eyes of our society's most unforgiving critics.
On 7th March, as part of the launch of the exhibition, we have arranged for a public forum from 4.00-6.00pm discuss various aspects of the crisis i.e the constitutional aspect, economic aspect, historical and cultural aspects, the role and impact of the media and the effect of the crisis on our democracy and its institutions. The forum will feature presentations by several panelists including former Secretary to the CKRC turned politician, PLO Lumumba; Muthoni Wanyeki, Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission; Mitch Odero of the Media Council; and Betty Maina, Chairperson of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
The forum will be followed by a cocktail at the same venue during which the winners of the competition will be announced.

All are welcome to attend. Entry is free.