Kenya.
Kenya
1973
Kenyan comics history centres on Joe, the magazine Terry Hirst co-founded with Hilary Ng'weno and published from 1973 to August 1979.
Hirst, Kenya's first political cartoonist, later made the Pichadithi folk-tale comics, and the Ghanaian cartoonist Frank Odoi, who moved to Kenya, created Akokhan, studied as an African superhero of Kenyan newspaper comics.
10
16
1973
1990s
Artists from Kenya in the archive.
Comics from Kenya in the archive.
Joe, the earliest comic from Kenya in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Kenya began.
comics
Kenya in 2 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Kenya.
2 chapters
Chapter 1
1973
to 1979
Joe
1973
to 1979
Chapter 01
Joe
Terry Hirst and Hilary Ng'weno published Joe from 1973 to August 1979, with contributions from Frank Odoi.
1979
to today
Chapter 02
Folk tales, superheroes and political cartoons
Hirst later created the Pichadithi folk-tale comic series, and Odoi's Akokhan ran in Kenyan newspapers. Gado (Godfrey Mwampembwa) joined the Daily Nation around 1992 and created The XYZ Show.
The comics to know
The people to know
- Terry HirstCartoonist, 1932 to 2015Kenya's first political cartoonist; co-founder of Joe.
- Hilary Ng’wenoComics creator, 1938 to 2021Co-founder of Joe.
- Frank OdoiCartoonist, 1948 to 2012Ghanaian cartoonist who moved to Kenya; created Akokhan.
- GadoCartoonist, Born 1969Godfrey Mwampembwa, Tanzanian-born cartoonist at the Daily Nation.
More artists from Kenya
More comics from Kenya
All 16 comics- Macho ya Mji1998 · comic book series
- Juha Kalulucomic strip
- City Lifecomic strip
- Penknife2002 to 2003 · comics magazine
- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugalicomic strip
- Manywele1998 · comic book series
- Gitonga1996 · comic book series
- Shujaaz2010 · comics magazine
- Bongomancomic strip
- Safari ya anga za juu1997 · comic book series
- African Illustrated1997 · comics magazine
- Abunuwasi1996 · comic book series