Indigenous art: Creating social awareness through cartoons

Interactive session aims at motivating participants to use imagination in drawing held

ISLAMABAD: An interactive awareness session about multiple social issues through cartoons for schoolchildren was conducted by cartoonist Nigar Nazar on Thursday.

The event ‘Gogi Hour’ was co-organised by Gogi Studios and Oxford University
Press.  As many as 40 children from nine schools of twin cities participated in the event.

Using her book ‘Babloo’ the little boy who did not like books as a sample at the session, Nazar aimed at motivating children as well as teachers to use their imagination in drawing caricatures.

She encouraged children to learn Urdu by making cartoons out of alphabets, as an attempt to instill importance of indigenous culture and language.



Sharing tips, she taught the children many ways of drawing expressions and adding body language to an illustration made out of single Urdu alphabet.

Speaking to the participants, she said cartoons made by Gogi Studios are not imported from anywhere. “The idea is not inspired by any Barbie doll enterprise, Gogi is made in Pakistan and talks about issues that are very much our own,” Nazar said.

The first woman cartoonist of the country Nazar’s  cartoons have made it to eight comic books and seven books published for different national and international organisations.

Her books and videos compiled for children are not just meant for laughs and entertainment. Nazar has featured issues like environment, water conservation, health and safety and disaster management in her cartoons.

“I felt the need to compile drawings on social issues ever since the country was embroiled in terrorism in past few years,” she said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“Qudrati aafat say bachao kay tareeqay” is one such comic book that focuses on how kids can learn and react to incidents like an earth quake or a bomb blast.

“Three more comic books, featuring ‘Babloo’, on a theme of teaching manners to kids are in pipeline,” she said.

Having completed her professional up-gradation in 2009 as a full bright scholar, Nazar has conducted multiple workshops and interactive learning sessions for under-privileged kids across Pakistan.

She also teaches at different art institutions in Pakistan and internationally.

In recognition of her contribution to art, the government conferred Fatima Jinnah Award to her in 2005.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th,  2015.