Who we are
World Comics Finland (WCF) is a politically independent and non-religious human rights oriented organization, which was founded and registered by comics artists and aid activists in 1997. We support individuals and groups possessing a wide variety of points of view but who lack the means to make their voices heard. We offer free access to our grass-roots oriented comic method, based on the principles of open access and open source knowledge, with which we aim to diminish inequality and advance the rights and prospects of minorities.
The core values of World Comics Finland are:
• Human rights.
• Global responsibility.
• Equality.
• Ecological sustainability.
• Local organization.
The organisation is run on a voluntary basis but receives support for specific projects. A great number of workshops have been conducted over the years in Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe. In Finland, WCF has introduced the method of grassroots comics in global education and in social work. WCF has about 30 members in Finland and works together with organisations sharing the same goals and values, both in Finland and in other countries.
Activities of World Comics Finland
World Comics Finland is mainly concerned with development communication, but has also introduced comics as a medium for self-expression in small and alternative groups e.g. in the Nordic countries. People have also been trained to run comics workshops for global education projects in Finland and Estonia.
Workshops and courses
We arrange comics workshops and courses. Recently we have had cooperation with organisations in Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, India and Finland.
Lectures
We give lectures and talks on the use of comics as a development tool in festivals, art schools and in institutions of social and political studies.
Exhibitions
We have produced many exhibitions of grassroots comics and other local comics from Africa and India. We have also produced some exhibitions with grassroots comics from Finland (mainly made by immigrants).
Manuals and instructions in different languages
We constantly improve and streamline our instructions and training manuals and the material is downloadable on our website. Currently we have basic manuals available in the following languages: Arabic, English, Finnish, French, Hindi, Kirundi, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Swahili, and Urdu.
Fundraising
We raise funds in different ways for our project work. Our activists draw caricatures at events or donate their time and talent in some other way. We offer illustrations to publications, and receive copyright compensation for the use of our instruction materials in publications and websites. We help organisations in finding possible funders for projects and assist them in budgeting for workshops.
Promotion of grassroots comics
We take part in comics festivals, events and seminars, and promote there the grassroots comics method as an on-the-ground, cost-effective, low-tech communication tool for small organisations all over the world.
