Masked in Metaphors: Counter Narratives in the Works of Nigerian Cartoonist Mike Asukwo

At the time of independence, most African countries were poised to take charge of their own affairs. However, postcolonial realities characterized by political upheavals, coups and counter-coups, civil wars, and economic downturn, among other setbacks, created a sense of ambivalence in terms of political and economic freedom. In Nigeria, satirical expressions became the tool used against oppressive regimes. In post-independence Nigeria, from the military dictatorial era to the present civilian dispensations,¹ sociopolitical issues have been lampooned in different forms of expression such as music, performance, cartoons, and memes. Within this environment, political cartoons began to thrive, as they became a relatively safe way to comment on the political issues of the day (Akande 2002: 2). This was achieved largely by concealing the main subject matter behind the “masks” of metaphoric imagery, which enabled cartoonists to develop narratives that counter the dominant narratives, often opposing governmental policies and practices. Since the early 1940s, when Akinola Lasekan employed cartoons as one of the tools against British imperialism in Nigeria, political cartooning as a graphic form of satire has become part and parcel of everyday satirical culture. Lasekan was the first indigenous cartoonist in the country. His works in the West African Pilot newspaper became weapons of propaganda for African nationalism and against the editor’s colonial and indigenous political rivals² (Fig. 1). Today, most national newspapers³ have editorial cartoon columns, which provide readers with a visual narrative or editorial position of the state of societal happenings. The Internet has also provided a platform for cartoon publications, as most cartoonists now publish their biting visual expressions on the web.⁴

Though cartooning in its current form in Nigeria is of colonial provenance, the strategies of satire employed in cartoons were embedded in some traditional Nigerian societies long before the advent of colonialism. Cartoons, like their satirical performance predecessors, are couched in imagery drawn from “African mythologies and archetypes” (Eko 2007: 222). Symbols and metaphors are employed to simplify and to communicate complicated ideas and concepts (Harrison 1981). Cartoonists can be likened to the traditional palace jesters in most African societies because of their roles in ridiculing the excesses of influential people in subtle and humorous ways (Wyk 2012: 10; Onipede 2007: 4; Olaniyan 2002: 124; Olowu, Kayode, and Egbuwalo 2014: 119).

In this article I explore the ways in which Etim Bassey Asukwo employs visual elements as counter-narratives against dominant governmental narratives on sociopolitical issues.⁵ By examining his cartoons within the context of production and the choice of imagery he employs, I argue that rather than simply expressing societal happenings, these images provoke discourse on various sociopolitical issues. As such, these cartoons are not just passive reflections, but are also instruments of persuasion. Contemporary cartoons share significant similarities with the precolonial tradition of satire. Imagery in contemporary times are employed as a “mask” for protection in order to reveal societal ills and to speak truth to power. In rendering some of his works, Asukwo usually masks his identity as “Basati”—a signature he coined to conceal his true identity, when he does not sign his works as Asukwo EB, the main signature he is known for.

TRADITIONAL SATIRE IN NIGERIA

The use of satire to ridicule, challenge, and potentially subvert the excesses of the aristocrats or power brokers in society is not alien to most African contexts. Among the Yoruba of the southwestern part of Nigeria, forms of satire range from caricature portraits in terracotta, wood, ivory, bronze, brass, and stone to verbal manifestations in satirical songs, chants, and performances by Egungun⁶ masquerades with headdresses featuring humorous images (Figs. 2–3) (Lawal 1977). Popular among these performances is the Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́/È̩fẹ̀, which epitomizes the concept of socio-political control through satire (Adepegba 2016). The night of È̩fẹ̀ during the Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ masquerade performance is characterized by wit and sanctions (Drewal 1974a).⁷ Evildoers, and even despotic kings, are ridiculed in a subtle manner in the presence of everyone. It is a taboo for any king to order the arrest of maskers...