Sunday Ngakama

Information

Name:

Sunday Ngakama

Age:

25 (2010)

Nationality:

Tanzanian

Profession:

Artist

Country:

Tanzania

City:

Mwanza

Describe your background, your interest in development, your affiliation with ngos etc.

I have received my art education through art workshops and training. I started as a painter at a sign-writing office in Mwanza. Then I had a chance to work as a volunteer in Kuleana Center for Children's Rights in 2004 where I was teaching arts to children and drawing mural paintings. I have also worked with NGOs in Tanzania and Finland as an artist and tutor.

How did you first get in touch with World Comics and grassroots comics?

I came to know and get in touch with World Comics Finland, and the idea of grassroots comics, in 2006, through my fellow artist Sanna Hukkanen who introduced me to Tanzania Popular Media Association ( TAPOMA ), the comic artists’ association based in Dar es Salaam. TAPOMA has cooperation with World Comics Finland for organising grassroots comics workshops in Tanzania. Since then I have participated in tutors’ training workshops organised by World Comics both in Finland and in Tanzania.

What are your experiences of grassroots comics? Do you plan to use grassroots comics in your future activities?

After those workshops, I have been tutoring the grassroots comics concept in Dar es Salaam for Elimu, Maendelo na Jamii (EMAJA) in 2006. I also tutored a workshop for street children in Mwanza in 2007. Now, in 2010, I am tutoring workshops for disabled people of Mwanza. Since the time I came to know grassroots comics, through the experience I am getting, I feel like improving more in it. I consider it a very interesting medium which can be used in community to change the way people think and feel about issues. I am planning to organise more grassroots comics workshops in future here in Mwanza and also in rural areas.

Contact info