By CHIMA NWAFO

Globally cartoons are perceived from the concept of humour, entertainment and comic relief from serious issues of everyday life. But the individual cartoonist’s choice of expression, critical response to extant socio-political and cultural issues, depth of interpretation and cartology betray his training, natural skill and lifestyle. That is why – as in other art forms such as painting, sculpture or architecture – it takes some depth of understanding to appreciate a particular work of art. Therefore, it is not surprising that to the average newspaper reader cartoons are perceived as mere relief from the boredom of texts, especially in an intellectually lazy society like ours. Notwithstanding, most print media houses make provision for Editorial Cartoons as an integral feature of the Op-Ed, which must address a trending societal ill with same seriousness as texts. So, in the words of a brand expert, “Value lies not in the product, but in the service it delivers.”

Concept and creative process

Chukwuemeka Emenike, Assistant Chief Cartoonist of New Telegraph Newspapers, stands tall among peers, particularly in his choice of subjects, equally determines the seriousness of presentation. To him, editorial cartooning is a veritable platform to X-ray Nigeria’s persisting issues of corruption, social inequality, injustice, insecurity, among other symptoms of a failed state. Given the foregoing backdrop, one must be able to appreciate his concept and thought process – which, as in marketing, is the service he delivers – beyond the strokes that physically depict the subject in physical form.

In Elements of Literary Analysis, Edmund Reiss, in disagreeing with some popular views in the field, justified his action by quoting some lines from a guru in the trade, H L Meneken, who said: “The really competent critic must be an empiricist. He must conduct his exploration with whatever means lie within the bounds of his personal limitation. He must produce the effects with whatever tools will work…” In his critical response to issues of concern to the polity, Emeka reads widely like a researcher and observes trends and attitudes as would be expected of a seasoned artist that he is; directing his strokes on a specific issue or failure of governance per time. As a result, through the years, he has used diverse means of communication such as dialogue and humour before he settled with the more thoughtful art of editorial cartooning.

Outstanding Corps member

With over three decades of hands-on experience, he has been consistent in this genre of cartooning, which has earned him garlands and diadems from both domestic and offshore competitions across the East and Western blocs.

An alumnus Yaba College of Technology, Emeka did General Art (OND) and Painting (HND), which earned him an Upper Credit. He began his cartooning career informally, because of his zeal to excel in his NYSC assignment.

In NewsWatch Nov-Dec, 2002, Betty Onuh recalled: “He discovered the cartooning skill during his national Youth Service Corps in Kaduna. He was named the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of his set. In an attempt to publicise the activities of the Scheme, he resorted to cartooning with improvised materials, such as chewing stick, poster colour and cardboard paper. To him it was fun, but to his fellow ‘corpers’ and the management it was a serious commentary and promotion of the activities of the NYSC. No doubt, the unexpected reward landed him on the corridors of recognition and excellence.

“He was offered, Kaduna State Honours Award for Outstanding Performance in projecting a Positive Image of NYSC through Artworks, in 1995. His reaction: ‘I never knew I would make something out of it’.” But he did. And what he also never envisaged was that cartooning, rather than painting, was his calling.

Treasury of awards

Since 1993, he has participated in over 25 art exhibitions, seminar/workshops and competitions, both locally and overseas. On the domestic scene, he has won several awards as Best Cartoonist of the Year or got Commendation as Runner-up in the three known media award platforms, namely: The Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA), Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) and the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism. He also featured in the following, among others: “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” (Lagos, 1998); “Zagreb 2000” – an international Cartoon exhibition organised by Croatian Cartoonists Association; “A World of Opportunities” by the United Nations Population Fund; “Democratic Satire” – an exhibition of cartoons in Lagos on Transition and Democracy (2002); Daejon International Cartoon Poster Contest in Seoul, Korea (2001). Earlier, in 1993, he won a prize in the Academy Press Award for Excellence in Visual Art.

In order to hone his analytical skill, he enrolled for a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos. No doubt, the outcome resonates in the improved quality and depth of his cartoons. By virtue of his participation and excellent performance in various competitions and exhibitions, he has etched his employers’ corporate names in the organisers’ halls of fame.

As captured in the 2002 chat with Betty: “Emenike, who uses his cartoons as a means of correcting societal evils, said that his ultimate ambition is to establish a Cartoon Institute, first of its kind in the country. This is to ensure that the profession does not die and to provide budding cartoonists a training opportunity.”

That vision as a young man 21 years ago still lives in the 56-year-old Enugu State-born anti-corruption and social justice campaigner, despite the degenerating trajectory of Nigeria’s economic and political stratosphere.

Cartooning as crusade

Against the foregoing backdrop, Emenike’s participation in competitions is no longer so much a desire to win laurels but a platform for critical evaluation of policy and governance from the lens of an editorial cartoonist. This is captured by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism: “The award is for outstanding journalists who focus on themes from regulatory failures, corruption in the public and corporate spheres, and human right abuses in the country. This year (2023), our board of judges selected 10 finalists from the 244 applications received.” Not surprisingly, Emeka was among the 10 and a few that received a “Commendation” certificate in the absence of an outright winner.

For a man who has clinched a treasury of trophies from diverse themes of art events, the highpoint of the 2023 WSCIJ competition was participating in the “In-depth media conference,” which he said was “well-packaged, edifying and intellectually nourishing.”

While still cherishing the sweet memories of the preceding year, 2024 began on a promising note. Emeka, who philosophises that every cartoonist is an artist but not every artist is a cartoonist, unveils what followed:

“I got an invitation demanding my particulars, having been chosen as one of the select top cartoonists to participate in an editorial cartooning workshop, themed “Sketch & Satire: The Art and Impact of Editorial Cartooning,” at the cozy American Centre, Lekki. The high-brow three-day (February 19-21) event was sponsored by the US Consulate as part of activities scheduled to mark Punch Newspapers Golden Jubilee Anniversary.

Take-away

“To complement its top-notch creative rating, two renowned Africa American Editorial Cartoonists and Creators – Barbara Brendon-Croft and Tayo Fatunla – were facilitators, while the cerebral UNILAG Professor of Journalism, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndizika, gave the keynote remarks.”

On his impressions, the multiple award-winning cartoonist said the event was physically and professionally fulfilling and mentally challenging. “To me, it’s better captured in the Summary topic by Barbara: Where are Editorial Cartoonists headed? Quite an inspirational take-away from the memorable event.”

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