Cartoon Africa International Biennial Festival/Contest in Lagos, Nigeria

 

Cartoon Africa International Biennial Festival/Contest in Lagos, Nigeria (CAIB Festival - Lagos 2012)
CAIB Festival was conceived by the African Press Cartoon Syndication Company (APCSC), in association with the Beautiful Feet International Art Center (BFIAC), and the FIC Development Advocacy Through Art (FICDATA), to become the Rallying Point for African Cartoonists and Comics Artists.
To be the catalyst for re-engineering Africa through Pictorial Communication: Cartoons, Comics, Satires and Graphic Humour, while Promoting, properly Showcasing and Rewarding Excellence in the African Cartooning/Comics Art Industry in the context of Achieving Innovative, Holistic and Sustainable Development, Productivity and developing a Great Moral Capital in Africa!
Be a Part of it!
***
The 1st Cartoon Africa Int’l Biennial Festival & ContestIntroduction:
Within the framework of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in the context of the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector’s (SHS) call for 10 innovative ideas in favour of Africa’s development within the new decade, the African Press Cartoon Syndication Company (APCSC) has collaboratively initiated the “1st Cartoon Africa Int’l Biennial Festival/Contest” (CAIB) with the main theme:
“UNITED STATES OF AFRICA: Matters Arising”
The biennial festival/contest is a multi-purpose and all-inclusive novel platform that will provoke ideas on what could be the future frontiers of African cartoons, comics and graphic humour industry. It is also inspired to stir up and mobilize/generate creative and innovative ideas from participants/contestants, across the continent and beyond, in the form of “solution seeds” for technological innovations and social reengineering in the context of developing Africa holistically through Art and media in the next ten years.
The international biennial will be in TWO major parts:
Part 1: The Contest leading up to the festival, featuring the following Sub-themes:
(a) “African Governments, Citizens and Fiscal Development: a 50:50 shared responsibility” - The North African revolutions have set an agenda for the rest of Africa since the dawn of this decade: a demand for CHANGE. But who really are culpable for our political and socio-economic setbacks in this continent-African rulers or African citizens? Or both? And how really would moral capital development, fiscal productivity and tangible development be achieved and sustained in Africa?
(b) “Violence Against Women” (“The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”) - how true in Africa, since gender-based violence and stereotyping and male chauvinism hold sway, and poverty is feminized in most parts of Africa? Alas! Not many people are even aware, educated, enlightened and/ or acting on the mandate of the AFRICAN UNION regarding the gender agenda in Africa. So, we are looking for witty, humorous and interesting comic stories, maximum 4-6 pages long, skillfully illustrated to humorously but decisively spread the awareness about one or more issues addressed in the “Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa”.
Click on“African Union Protocol”, to download this document and get a background knowledge, which you may need as a guide in creating your storylines, etc.
(c) Celebrating African Heroes/Heroines past & present in caricatures and illustrations - From the days of slave trade to the dawn of the new millennium, in Europe and America, and elsewhere in the world, some people paid heavily with sacrifices to ensure a better life for the black race on planet Earth. You, too, can immortalize some of these African heroes and heroines through dynamic and dramatic drawings/ illustrations, caricatures, graphic humour, paintings, etc.
(d) My View of Africa - Strictly for Non-African cartoonists and satirists. When you think of Africa, what comes to your mind? What is your candid perception of Africa or Africans today? Express it in graphic humour and satire!
(e) “African Creativity” (“If nobody has ever done it, go do it!”) - We are looking for new ideas within the prism of humour and innovation: conceptual drawings, illustrations, cartoons and/or comic strips, Prop Art, etc, imbuing a new technology breakthrough, new fashion concept, an architectural feat, an artistic or scientific discovery or displaying very novel architectural conception/ creative ingenuity, etc, with a good touch of Africa in design/conception, originating entirely from you and very capable of impacting positively on public life and improving living standards in Africa and the world, if properly researched into, developed upon and or invested in).
(f) Free Style - Here, you are at liberty to send in any work(s) on any theme/topic of your choice, but no obscenity or works showing lewdness allowed please. REMEMBER: we’re looking for fresh and creative thinking that adds value to life and builds moral capital!
Part 2: The Actual Festival
Featuring the prize presentations, exhibition of selected artworks from the contest; public presentation/launch of pilot edition of theMEWOR/MAVAW African regional gender advocacy comics series on the AU Protocol on women’s rights in Africa; the launch of the proposed multi-purpose “African Cartoon/Comics Museum & Research Center” building project by APCSC; the Cartoon congress and special honours/awards to seven old and deserving African press cartoonists, veterans/pioneers who have made great contributions to African press cartooning/comic art industry; the CAIB festival exhibition public votes, the cartoon/comics camp and educational training workshops for school children, females journalists and journalism students, other youths, etc.
The post-festival touring exhibitions; outreaches to/mobilization of new cartoon/comics clienteles, partners and sponsors; merchandise sales and other fund-raising activities to sustain the CAIB project and to support the less privileged and the disadvantaged in the society.
The Festival will bring together guest artists/cartoonists, comic artists, cartoon animators, multi-media and new media experts, graphic designers, painters, creative thinkers, etc, from across Africa and parts of the world to showcase their stuffs, exhibit/sell their ideas, works, publications, etc, as well as share knowledge, skills and experiences, build STRATEGIC links/networks and engage in artistic exchanges, creative and cultural tourism within and outside Abuja; and lots more that will add impudence to the CAIB festival.
Any professional African cartoonist or comic artist, foreign cartoonists, cartoon art publisher, author, etc, interested to be a guest artist/author/publisher, etc.,at the biennial festival can participate and exhibit their stuffs, without any fees. Contact the Curator of the CAIB festival 2012.The organizers have established that 20% of the proceeds from every CAIB festival and post-festival touring exhibitions, merchandise sales, and other fund-raiser initiatives for CAIB festivals/contests, would go to support the BEAUTIFUL FEET INTERNATIONAL (BFI) charity works in Nigeria.
Deadline: 22 October 2012
For more information, sponsorship or general enquiries on CAIB festival, please email: general_enquiries@cartoonafricabiennial.org