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Maggie Buys the Farm

Africartoons — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:46:02 +0000

CARTOONISTS BID FAREWELL TO A GREAT INSPIRATION

THE PASSING OF MARGARET THATCHER has ignited an explosion of obituary cartoons by a world of appreciative cartoonists - many of whom enjoyed ridiculing her in the 1980's; the decade of her prime.

Love or hate her politics (cartoonists tend towards the left and so were more inclined to the latter), "Maggie's" iconic style and powerful disposition brought inspiration to cartoonists the world over.

Indeed, she inspired an industry of satire in the form of theatrical plays, films, TV shows, paintings, songs and cartoons. BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz asks "Has any other post-war politician provoked so much artistic output?"

Author and satirist John O'Farrell notes that ""the arrival of Margaret Thatcher was the cue for the rise of political cabaret, Not the Nine O'clock News and Spitting Image”.

And when the Soviet news agency TASS coined the term 'Iron Lady' (not realising then that she would outlast the Iron Curtain that they owed their existence to), cartoonists and satirists swooned at the gifted metaphor. [read on]

Legendary British cartoonists Gerald Scarfe and Steve Bell established their credentials in their scathing attacks on the Iron Lady, as their objections to her policies fuelled some of their best work. It was Bell who discovered her crazy eye, and showed us that when Tony Blair eventually ended the Conservative Party's reign, he not only inherited and kept many of the hallmarks of Thatcherism, but with them, he adopted the crazy eye.

Thatcher's union bashing (which extended to bashing the European Union as well), her Falklands adventure, her special relationship with American President Ronald Reagan and their resolve to destroy the USSR communist block, her restructuring of Britain's economy and iron grip on it's government - and then her dramatic demise at the hand of her own party, were all duly recorded by the world's cartoonists, many of them pushing the limits of their trade to express their distaste for her policies.

MAGGIE AND S AFRICA
Interestingly, her perceived support of South Africa's apartheid government received more condemnation from cartoonists outside of the country than from those within, where almost every newspaper cartoonist agreed with their publication's stance against sanctions. Nanda Soobben was the only 'black' cartoonist working a mainstream paper in 1989, and the following cartoon of his tends to agree with her claim (currently being touted by her many supporters) that Thatcher strongly advocated for Mandela's release - and even suggests her support for his installation as national leader. Soobben now doubts whether she'd have said such a thing.

Back in England, Steve Bell and his colleagues had a full go at Thatcher's South Africa policy. This cartoon, marking the ocasion of the ANC's victory in South Africa's first democratic election, reminds the Iron Lady of her (now refuted) claim that it would never happen.

THATCHER'S LOVE FOR CARTOONS

What many people don't know, is that Margaret Thatcher - despite her iron clad conservatism and steely resolve, was a great fan of editorial cartoons. "Cartoons are very funny", she said; "And I think cartoonists are marvellous".

Her speeches, interviews and writing throughout her political career were dotted with references to cartoons by Low, Cummings (perhaps her favourite) and others, which she employed to illustrate her point. And she kept a private collection of original cartoons that she treasured.

This might come as a surprise to some, since the Iron Lady was not known for her sense of humour. Even her long term personal assistant, Cynthia Crawford admits; "Her sense of humour was very, very dry. In fact, so dry you could miss it". She goes on to explain that Thatcher's was a very serious world.

The Times' Ben Macintyre tells of the time at her last party conference as leader, when an adviser encouraged her to mention Monty Python's "dead parrot" sketch in her speech in mockery of the Liberal Democrats' bird logo. "Mrs Thatcher was shown the parrot sketch, repeatedly, until she could mimic John Cleese perfectly," writes Macintyre. “'It is an ex-parrot, it has ceased to be ... ' She never smiled and was still dubious. 'Monty Python?' she finally demanded, 'Is he one of us?’

Perhaps her appreciation could be explained by her admiration for the Gilbert half of Gilbert & Sullivan. She loved his acute sense of political satire, she said: "He turned the House of Lords into fairies", speculating how a fellow parliamentarian might look with wings. It was not necessarily the humour, but the wit in cartooning that she admired.

RIDICULE

Early on in her career she remarked on how cartoonists had taken to a particular hat she once wore; "I think that's sweet I only wore that hat once, the cartoonists have never forgotten it. It looks like a bullseye".

Her foundation's website notes with disapproval that at one protest, demonstrators carried banners with "cartoons of Mrs Thatcher—complete with varicose veins drawn on her legs— and shouted: "Maggie Out." She would later be lampooned far more scathingly than that - puckered up as a Labourite turkey's backside for example!

When asked about how she felt by all the ridicule, she admitted a sensitivity when people said hurtful things about her, telling one interviewer that "satire is cruel, satire and caricature are cruel because they take what they see as a characteristic and then they extend it and therefore it can give a false [impression] ... but satire again is part of life, it is part of theatre".

On another occasion she absolved satirists (above opponents, reporters and other critics) of any blame: "I don't mind people taking me off, I think it's rather funny...some of the lines are very very good, they're very apt. They're very sharp, comedians, so are cartoonists in the press. I often think the cartoonists have a very difficult job because, you know, by about one o'clock they've had to look at the news and think, now what am I going to make of the news today? And they put a whole message into a cartoon, and I just think they are very very bright, and very able and very talented".

FREE EXPRESSION

Margaret Thatcher was a committed advocate of a free press, saying that "freedom would not last unless we have freedom of the press", and she warned "never (to) let government interfere with the press; you would lose everything you hold most dear".

Speaking to the Finchley Conservatives in 1990, Thatcher was "reminded of a cartoon when I came back from the last summit meeting in Rome. It was a cartoon of eleven men going one way round an athletics track. And me going the other. [laughter] What the cartoonist didn't know was that he had got the eleven going the wrong way round [loud laughter and applause] ... and me going the right way".

In her 1980 address at the British Press Awards (where she presented Jon Pilger with an award for his coverage of the war in Cambodia), Thatcher made an appeal for the next year's awards to recognize the work of the cartoonist.

The cartoon, she said, was "the most concentrated and cogent form of comment and just about the most skilled and the most memorable, giving the picture of events that remained most in the mind".

Margaret Thatcher will be missed. Not least of all by cartoonists, both left and right, who appreciated her as a subject as much as she appreciated their medium. But she'll be remembered by future generations, thanks in part to the great cartoon legacy she has left behind.

[Story by JOHN CURTIS, Publisher & editor, africartoons.com]

RESOURCES:

LISTEN AS 'THE WORLD'S' Carol Hills talks about the Iron Lady's obituary cartoons... while enjoying more cartoons via the links (which will open in fresh windows) below.

SEE AFRICARTOONS' COLLECTION of Margaret Thatcher cartoons (and please revisit for new additions).

STEVE BELL'S website is packed with over 1000 Maggie toons!

THE WORLD'S slide show of Margaret Thatcher's obituary cartoons.

CAGLE.COM'S Margaret Thatcher obituary cartoons.

You're Invited to an Easter Egg Hunt

Africartoons — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:53:49 +0000

EASTER TIME brings with it a basket full of metaphors for cartoonists to play with, as this collection of cartoons demonstrates. Feel free to share them.

EASTER TIME is also a time for Easter Eggs, although those of a cyber nature are available all year round... but only to the inquisitive and sharp witted! Hidden throughout this website, they'll find clues to secret cartoons, treasures and interesting collections. They'll discover clues to bouquets and onions that they'd otherwise might have missed: tid bits about the cartoons and cartoonists, and other interesting facts. This page will be updated from time to time with more hints and links, some obvious, others not.

This is not the only place you'll discover hints to the many Easter eggs we've hidden. After you've found find them, please leave a comment (beneath this article) to let us know that you've taken up the challenge of our Easter Egg hunt... but please don't give away any hints that might spoil other readers' searches.

TO GET YOU GOING; here are some things to look out for...

- Follow the Rhodes to discover a century old tradition in cartooning, involving two colossal cartoonists.

- Discover a host of otherwise unpublished cartoons, Spiked with details as to why they weren't published by the newspaper editors.

- A South African word for "Bloopers" will lead you to our 'Blooper Reel" of cartoons that were published with mistakes in them.

- And if you're inclined to go back as far as 1754, you'll find the oldest cartoon in the West, drawn by none other than a founding father of the USA!

- A collection of cartoons in which two or more cartoonists have coincidentally come up with similar ideas at the same time. You know what they say about "Great Minds..."! (Clue: Now search for an acronym formed from the initial letters of that saying).

- More difficult to find are our series of re#ed (rehashed) cartoons: cartoons which we believe were influenced by others (on our site and off it). In an instance where two cartoons are (in our opinion) suspiciously similar, we've tagged them both with a hash symbol preceding the date of the earlier instance; so that you can see them together and decide for yourself.

- If you find some of our cartoons puzzling, you might prefer this fun exercise!

- On August 1, 2010 Africartoons coordinated a petition by South Africa's leading newspaper cartoonists against threats to their Freedom of Expression. It was signed by 29 leading cartoonists, with only one of the then current editorial cartoonists abstaining. Can you determine who that cartoonist is?

- Have you noticed that our website design is inspired by that of a newspaper (the traditional home of the editorial cartoon)? Note our elongated masthead, the black, white and red colours, the bold headline-like typefaces, the fact that we call our home page the "front page", the 'Read All About It!' links and a host of other design elements and features which pay tribute to the noble newspaper.

- Did you see the bigger picture behind the scenes in the pic About Us, which confirms the mental state of the folk that built this website?

- Discover the cartoonist who caused a stir by landing some powerful politicians in hot water*

- Find like minded friends (who also appreciate cartoons) at our facebook page or read our notes there for many interesting insights.

- Follow the white rabbit! If you moused over the white rabbit that welcomed you to this story, you'll note that he's disappeared. There are only two ways of finding him. (1) refresh this page - but that would be cheating. Or (2) use your inner sleuth and our search tools to discover the cartoon that he originally appeared in. He's probably returned to it!

ENJOY, but watch out for the Red H errings.

USEFUL SEARCH TOOLS:
There are many ways to search for a cartoon on our site. You can do so via the Cartoonist's names (from the drop down list on our home page), or chronologically via the Archive. Otherwise, our Cartoonfinder search facility (also on the home page) will return all cartoons, stories and even comments that feature any given word or phrase. That search can then be refined to include or exclude any set of words. But another, very popular method o searching is via our extensive WORD CLOUD which lists popular themes alphabetically and sized according to how represented they are.

ABOUT VIRTUAL EASTER EGGS:
*WIKIPEDIA explains: "A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message, in-joke, or feature in a work such as a computer program, web page, video game, movie, book, or crossword. The term was apparently coined by Atari after they were pointed to the secret message left their game Adventure.It draws a parallel with the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many Western nations as well as the last Russian imperial family's tradition of giving elaborately jeweled egg-shaped creations by Carl Fabergé which contained hidden surprises.

This practice is similar in some respects to hidden signature motifs such as Diego Rivera including himself in his murals, Alfred Hitchcock's legendary cameo appearances, the appearances of Fritz in the works of Chris van Allsburg, and various "Hidden Mickeys" that can be found throughout the various Disney Parks. An early example of this kind of "Easter egg" is Al Hirschfeld's "Nina".

MEET SOLLY AND HIS TROLLEY

Africartoons — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:24:30 +0000

INTRODUCING MADAM & EVE’S NEW WALK ON

South Africa’s most popular newspaper comic has a new character.

This past week, Solly walked into Madam & Eve’s strip - and neighbourhood - opening up a whole world of prospects for stories and gags.

Solly is immediately set upon by Mother Anderson, who has taken it upon herself to defend the neighbourhood against the likes of him and the lady who walks the streets selling mielies (corn) at the top of her voice. In fact, it soon turns out that these two scourges of middle class privilege already know one another!

Solly’s trolly, filled to the brim with odds and ends (some of which will surprise you), is a prop that will surely prove to be a bottomless resource of material for the strip’s creators Stephen Francis (who writes), and Rico (who draws).

Africartoons asked Rico what inspired the addition of a new character. He told us that it was a recent newspaper article that Stephen found about cheerful street people getting on with their lives in spite of the many hardships and disappointments they face. The story featured a local street person who is known to them, and so Solly was literally drawn from the streets of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs.

Stephen imagined how a street philosopher could enrich the strip and both cartoonists immediately saw an opportunity to add a human touch and bring some light relief, while addressing serious issues.

It is clear that Solly has been written into the strip to represent the millions of South Africans who have been left behind by the dispensation that ushered in democracy (but little else for the masses), shortly after the strip was born some twenty years ago. He joins the squatter camp couple who also provide a voice to the forgotten ones.

It’s been two years since the strip’s creators last introduced and named a new character.

Councilman Vusi arrived in time for the 2011 local elections, as a useful stand in local politician. About the same time, Freedom - the Rastafarian gardener - found gainful employment in the strip after he was developed for the pilot of Madam & Eve’s animated show. Both characters have since managed to hold on to their coveted jobs as occasional support cast to the main characters of Madam, Eve, Mother Anderson and Thandi.

There are other walk ons who help enrich the storyline, such as the ubiquitous mielie lady, and Thandi’s nameless school friend, and their teacher, and the principal who we never see, but is often visited by Thandi. And then there is a vast cast of generic extras playing Eve’s scheming group of friends, and Mother Anderson’s bridge club.

Other characters have fallen by the wayside over the years, including Marge (the neighbour), Madam’s son Eric (a founding character who hasn’t been seen for ages), and Eve’s boyfriend who is so out of the picture that even Rico can’t recall his name!

Will Solly stay? We certainly hope so, as does Thandi who has already befriended him. But Rico is cautious, saying “Time will tell if he sticks around. You can’t pre-empt these things too much”.

Meanwhile, Madam tells her mother that Solly will soon get bored, and move on (to another strip, perhaps?). But he seems determined to stay. And he appears to have some big name connections who owe him a favour or two that might help him in his quest.

You can read Solly’s debut strips HERE.

ZAPIRO DEFENDS HIS MACIA CARTOON

Africartoons — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:25:41 +0000

In a rare written response to criticism over his cartoons, Zapiro has come out in defence of his latest to cause a stir.

The cartoon depicts the brutal torture by police of a Mozambican taxi driver, who later died.

Many readers (in comments on our facebook page, and elsewhere) expressed outrage at what they saw as being a disrespectful depiction of the victim in a cartoon, while many others have said that it is fair comment in that it targets the perpetrators, not the victim.

Zapiro's letter first appeared in The Sunday Times:

"The concept for the cartoon was to use the brutal dragging of Macia as a metaphor for the image of our nation in the eyes of the world," Shapiro, better known as Zapiro, wrote in an opinion piece published in the Sunday Times.

He was responding to a reader's letter from a Jeff Nyoka in which he questioned whether Zapiro considered how Macia's relatives would feel if they saw his death being "cartooned".

The cartoon depicts a man chained to the back of a police van, being dragged along the street. His mouth is open, as if screaming in agony, and on his clothing are the words "SA's reputation".

"The face is not a caricature of Macia's, nor is there a label identifying him by name," he wrote.

Zapiro said he was commenting on South Africa's reputation.

"We South Africans and our reputation are being dragged and shredded by police brutality, as well as our own endemic violence. Implicit in the cartoon, through the use of the word 'reputation', are references to other recent acts of violence that have shocked the world."

Zapiro cited the gang rape and murder of Bredasdorp teenager Anene Booysen and the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp by paralympian Oscar Pistorius as examples.

Macia was dragged behind the van on Tuesday, February 26. He died later that day in the holding cells of the Daveyton police station.

The bail application of the nine policemen accused of causing his death resumes on Monday.

Dr Jack at the Design Indaba

Africartoons — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:07:01 +0000

Cartoonist stamps his authority at CT event.

DR JACK'S 2006 Christmas themed 'Jungle Bells' range of stamps for the SA Post Office were revived at this year's Design Indaba in Cape Town last week, revealing interesting details of his process in creating the series.

Adorning a whole panel of the Post Office's stand, Jack's preliminary sketches and notes made up the display which demonstrated the evolution of the father Christmas lion, one of the indigenous characters the cartoonist had developed to bring an African flavour to Christmas. Other animals featured in the series were a warthog, a zebra, a hippo and a springbok.

Jack was pleasantly surprised at the news of his works' revival. "They used the build-up to my Christmas Stamps series to demonstrate the process. They even included the comments and chirps i made. Actually quite amusing".

The following photos reveal Jack's process, and the friendly interplay between the artist and his client.

GO HERE to see the full set of stamps on Africartoons.

EWN's Jerm infestation to increase by 50%

Africartoons — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:31:01 +0000

Africartoons.com celebrates the news that Eye Witness News has asked JERM to increase his output for their ewn.co.za website from two cartoons per week to three.

Not only will this bring us an additional four JERM cartoons each month, but the fact that another weekly slot has been created for editorial cartoons (when the global trend is a contraction of slots) is good news for all local cartoonists.

Writing for his blog, JERM apologised for the 50% increase. "Unfortunately, my EWN cartoons have been so well received around the country that, unfortunately, you are going to be seeing more of them.

Currently I draw two cartoons, per week, for EWN.

From this week onward I will be drawing three cartoons, per week, for EWN. And, unless things change, they will be published on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

It’s very unfortunate. I’m sorry".

JERM was recently interviewed by Cartoon Movement.

Cricket: Ifran vs Steyn

Africartoons — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:14:51 +0000

At almost 7 foot tall, Pakistan's Mohammad Irfan is the tallest fast bowler in the world. But, the Proteas' Dale Steyn is the fastest short bowler in the world!

Memes vs Cartoons

Africartoons — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:07:33 +0000

THE DIGITAL AGE'S 'VIDEO vs RADIO STAR' BATTLE?

An interesting blog post has suggested that the unrivalled dominance that editorial cartoons have long enjoyed in the field of graphical expression, commentary and satire now faces a threat which dwarfs the challenges of dwindling newspaper sales and accusations of plagiarism (and so called "self plagiarism") that are troubling the sector - particularly in the United Sates.

The advent of memes, and particularly the kind that live and thrive on the internet, are competing with cartoons in the digital arena for that ever decreasing space; the reader's attention span.

A meme (a term coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976) is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture", explains Wikipedia. It almost always evolves in the process. This phenomenon has found fertile ground on the internet, where ideas are easily published, shared, copied, sometimes altered, and redistributed.

It could be a catchy phrase popularised by an advertising campaign, or an abbreviation (like LOL), a tune from a TV series, fashion, architecture or a photoshopped image, shared on the internet.

Very popular amongst these internet memes are those which graphically comment on political and social matters, and it is these that the traditional political cartoon should watch out for.

Daryl Cagle, American cartoonist and publisher of Cagle.com wonders whether memes are something cartoonists should worry about. They certainly lack the depth and intellectual appeal of an editorial cartoon.

But their lack of sophistication adds to their mass appeal. Because they're built on familiar themes, memes are easy to grasp, identify with, and appreciate. Last year the search term 'political memes' surpassed 'political cartoons' as a popular Google search term. That's certainly something to take note of.

MORE...
READ The Human Condition blog post here.
SOUTH AFRICAN MEMES include: 'Vern Koekoemoer' (fashion),' Die Antwoord' (music), 'Vuvuzelas' (niose) and 'Don't touch me on my studio' (video).
SEE OUR MEME THEMED CARTOONS HERE.

The Funny Business of Cartooning

Africartoons — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:53:36 +0000

Laughter might be the best medicine, but when it’s at the expense of the powerful, it becomes a political tool, writes Joanna Wright in the January edition of The Media Magazine .

She notes that cartoonists make us laugh, make us think – and make politicians mad, and she invites some of South Africa’s leading cartoonists to explain just why this is so.

Read HERE to see what Dov Fedler (pictured above), Stidy, Jerm, Yalo, Rico, Len Sack and Andy Mason have to say about their trade.

Anthony Stidolph (STIDY), pictured left, draws for The Witness in Pietermaritzburg. DOV FEDLER (The Star), Jermey Nell (aka JERM, Eye Witness News) and Sifiso YALO (Sowetan) are pictured below.

Sloppy Cartoonist As Sharp As Ever

Africartoons — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:15:14 +0000

People old enough to remember the 1980s underground comic strip 'Sloppy' - which appeared in the alternative publication Learn and Teach - or 'Selatsa', a strip featured in the Bloemfontein newspaper The Friend, might have wondered what has happened to gonzo cartoonist Mogorosi Motshumi since those creations of his.

They'll be pleased to know that this struggling artist is back at the drawing board, teaching himself new tricks and employing them in his latest project; an autobiographical epic which he expects to complete next year. In it, he narrates his struggle under apartheid and since, including his challenges with substance abuse and Aids.

THE CAPE TIMES' Janet Heard discovered him in Cape Town recently and extracted a rare interview with this leading apartheid era cartoonist, who is clearly not done yet.

Cartoonist Emerges from a Life Lived in Shadows

Janet Heard

CAPE TIMES December 27 2012

ICONIC STRIP: Sloppy appeared in the alternative publication, Learn and Teach, during the 1980s

After life in black and white, Bloemfontein cartoonist Mogorosi Motshumi found colour in Cape Town.

The 55-year-old underground artist began drawing at the age of five or six. He risked “being lashed” by teachers for doodling in his exercise books.

In the 1980s, this self-taught artist was the first black cartoonist in the country to pen a regular black and white strip, Stroppy, for the monthly struggle publication Learn and Teach.

Now, this unassuming cartoonist, who survives on a monthly government grant of R1 200, has broken his colour phobia during a three-month residency at the Greatmore art studio in Woodstock.

“I came to Greatmore to get out of my comfort zone. I have a colour phobia, but can face it now,” Motshumi said in a rare interview the day he left Cape Town earlier this month.

INTO THE LIGHT: Reclusive Free State cartoonist Mogorosi Motshumi, creator of 1980s character of Sloppy, has been in residency at a studio in Cape Town. Photo: Michael Walker

Motshumi has returned to Batho in the Free State with acrylic paints and colour paintings in his baggage.

But his newfound colour phase is likely to fade. Motshumi is a gritty, no-frills artist who believes that colour distracts.

On his return to his reclusive life, he has picked up his Indian-ink pen to complete a painstaking project he started five years ago – a three-part autobiographical comic book, 360 Degrees, which will hopefully get published one day.

Motshumi’s story makes for graphic reading. A life filled with adventure and hardship, he retells his story with light strokes from his comic pen.

Brought up in poverty by his principled and staunch Methodist “oumama”, he would sometimes sell his granny’s coal on the quiet to make a few cents to buy sweets.

A bright, quiet kid, he began drawing “because I needed to say something”.

NEW PALETTE: The artist, 55, is also finally using colour

Introduced to Archie, Harvey Comics, Marvel and Rover, he began to experiment with cartooning.

He remembers school as a place to be beaten and whipped. A “quiet rebel”, he turned his back on apartheid education after matric.

Later, in his mid-twenties in 1980, he was detained and held in solitary for two weeks after being arrested with banned literature.

At the time, he had a strip, Selatsa, at the newspaper The Friend, but after his release, the paper refused to keep him on. He then moved to Joburg, where he spent the next 25 years.

A rolling stone, Motshumi freelanced before a collaboration with Andy Mason at Learn and Teach led to the birth of Sloppy, a typical dude from Soweto – with a comical protruding nose like Jughead – trying to navigate life under apartheid.

Paying tribute, Mason writes in his book on the history of local cartooning, What’s So Funny?: “Motshumi’s strip was the most sustained piece of graphic storytelling (to emerge from the townships) in the 1980s and deserves to be recognised as such.”

LIFE AS ART: Motshumi is now drawing his life story

The iconic strip ran for a decade, but didn’t survive after Learn and Teach’s demise.

A gentle spirit, Motshumi was not driven by success, his life full of distractions. “Back then I was even declared an alcoholic by my friends,” he says.

He discovered he was HIV-positive in 1996. “The title 360 Degrees is because of this struggle,” he said, explaining that after the euphoria of liberation in 1994, he and the country had come full circle with the Aids epidemic.

After Learn and Teach, Motshumi struggled on. His work appeared sporadically via the Mamba Comix network and a few mainstream papers such as the Daily Sun and City Press.

In many ways, Motshumi is a typical struggling artist with an indefatigable spirit. He had three children with his ex-wife, who died 10 years ago. On anti-retrovirals with full-blown Aids, Motshumi goes about life virtually invisible other than the odd piece of art he sells when he ventures to an exhibition or festival.

He lives alone in Batho and works on his graphic book every day “for more than eight hours, till the sun sets. The only time I get out is to go for a game of pool at the tavern a street away. I draw with music on an old system, a CD player.”

Although Motshumi hopes his book is published, neither fame nor money drive him. “If people can see what I have done, then I am happy. If one person understands what I am trying to say, that is good. That is rewarding.”

At Greatmore he sold about four pieces on exhibition, asking about R900 each.

“Artists were selling their work for five figures. They were amazed at my price. But why should I up the price? Money means nothing. I eat, I have shelter. I get to say what I want to say. That’s what motivates me.”

Motshumi’s gonzo cartoons track everyday life and are deeply political.

A Pan-Africanist who would never join any political party, he is concerned that the government is “chipping away at freedom, taking away a little bit at a time. If there is no resistance, they will take it away.”

At Greatmore, he lived in an Observatory digs with four artists from Germany, Mexico, Spain and Botswana.

“Cartoonists are like lepers, not very social,” he said, adding that he is adaptable.

He seemed surprised at the positive influence he had on other artists, said the gallery’s director Mark O’Donovan.

“Mogorosi is amazingly humble but incredibly knowledgeable, and a man of principle who will not be bought.

“The visiting artists found him so informative. And Mogorosi felt honoured to find that people recognise him that way.”

The experience has energised Motshumi and made him think beyond Batho. He is now considering applying for a residency at the Bag Factory artists’ studios in Newtown, Joburg.

But right now he has his epic life story to complete, a project which Mason said put him on the “bounce-back trail”.

Over halfway through, Motshumi hopes to have all three parts inked and ready by November 2014.

Perhaps then this loner will finally be discovered.