Publishers from Africa will discuss key questions with an expert on African comics: How can colonial imagery and traditional narrative patterns be challenged within the medium of comics – and how does this give rise to new perspectives that highlight diversity, self-empowerment and contradiction? The discussion will focus on power dynamics in storytelling: Who tells stories for whom – and under what conditions? Which images, characters and narratives shape the portrayal of African realities, and where do artists and publishers consciously create counter-narratives? Which languages and aesthetic codes are used in this process, and which communities and channels exist for dissemination – are (often Western-dominated) channels bypassed?

An event organized by Litprom / Frankfurter Buchmesse and Weltkulturen Museum Frankfurt, with the following panelists:

Bourahima Zongo, Burkina Faso, Creative Advisor & Mentor, Éditions Grenier

Suyru Njoka, Cameroon, Public Relations Officer, Zebra Comics

Moderation: Joëlle Epée Mandengue