*Marguerite Abouet – Concluding my diary of my trip to Ivory Coast, one cannot but mention the award-winning Marguerite Abouet author of the AYA book series AYA de Yopougon (Aya from Yopougon).
Meeting her as part of cartoonists who were invited to the 6th Cocobulles Festival of cartoons in Abidjan, writer Marguerite Abouet was born in the Yopougon area of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and moved to Paris, where she completed her education. The first book in her acclaimed graphic novel series Aya, Aya de Yopougon, was published in 2005 which was Illustrated by Clément Oubrerie a well know French illustrator in his own right. Abouet explained to me that the 7th series of AYA is in the pipeline.
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Sitting and watching the excitement amongst school children and fans of Aya, one could not but appreciate how popular the AYA books are and how famous Abouet is in her homeland of origin. She held workshop sessions with school children during the Festival of Cartoons in Treichville, Abidjan. The AYA series follows the life of a teenage girl in Abidjan in the late 1970s and from an African perspective, Abouet portrays a more realistic vision of Africa through her AYA books.
Abouet’s AYA books have sold over 350,000 copies and has been translated into 15 languages. Her other works by include the children’s book Akissi: Attaque de Chats (2010). When you get hold of an AYA book, you want to read the rest of the series. I have read all the AYA series except the seventh to drop in 2022. The icing on the cake was meeting Marguerite Abouet in her own country of birth, Ivory Coast.
Grand-Bassam – A colonial town that shows its age
I have long noticed that cartoon festivals promote tourism in whichever country they take place. So after the various events and activities at the 6th Cocobulles Festival of cartoons, cartoonists were driven to the former French colonial capital of Ivory Coast, Grand-Bassam a tourist attraction next to the Koral beach. A beach town about 45 minutes away from Abidjan.
The historic centre of Grand-Bassam was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the year 2012. Most of the colonial buildings look abandoned or partly empty have stood the test of time even though they look derelict, spooky and some, all the same habited. The first bank building in Ivory Coast is also in Grand-Bassam amongst the other colonial buildings. I must say though that Grand-Bassam and its colonial buildings, is a dream for Hollywood Moviemakers.
The coastal town itself is a must-visit for tourists and holidaymakers, locally and internationally as it seconds as a craft centre. There are several hotels to choose from. The Koral beach itself is a beauty and the atmosphere, the sun, the cool breeze and the people… an African delight, an African pride.
Charity Art
I try raising money to purchase art materials when traveling to give them out to aspiring young artists during Cartoon festivals. In Ivory Coast, this was the same as it was before in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Cameroon. In Ivory Coast being my recent trip, eyes lit up with promising art students and comic enthusiasts receiving donated items, such as Comic books, graphic novels, sharpie pens and mechanical pencils, USB sticks, a mini iPad, stringed bags and drawing pads. Those who could not but notice, saw me giving out the items, thought it a good idea to emulate. Shout out to Mr Lee Bailey, founder of EURWEB, Dr. Clive Timehin and Pete Olorunlonisomo (Pete Godismo) in supporting a worthy gesture that brought smiles and appreciation to faces of many young aspiring artists and professionals at various centres tied-in to the festival. I remember doing this same gesture in Cameroon, in which many began calling me Papa Noel (Father Christmas).
TAYO Fatunla is an award-winning Nigerian Comic Artist, Editorial Cartoonist, Writer and Illustrator is an artist of African diaspora. He is a graduate of the prestigious Kubert School, in New Jersey, US. and recipient of the 2018 ECBACC Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrated OUR ROOTS creation and series – Famous people in Black History – He participated at UNESCO’s Cartooning In Africa forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the Cartooning Global Forum in Paris, France and took part in the Afropolitan Comics virtual comics exhibition arranged by the French Institute
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