Welcome to Africartoons.com

Headlines

Press Freedom in Africa

by REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

This year's Reporters Without Borders international press freedom index is out and, as usual, Africa has fared poorly. The continent's highest ranked countries (with the best record of press freedom over the past year) are Namibia (in 20th place, globally) and Mali (25th). South Africa and Botswana share 42nd place, much further down, but slightly higher than the USA.>

Court Drawing

BOTSWANAN CARTOONIST BUNDLED OUT OF COURT FOR DRAWING

Seven security officers decended on Albert Lekgaba, cartoonist for The Botswana Gazette, as he sat sketching in court for his newspaper. He was then escorted out of a courtroom, and his drawings confescated in an incident which typifies the contempt held for cartoonists by authority figures in many parts of Africa.

Fortunately, the Judge, on hearing of the episode, reminded the officers that it was not illegal to draw in court, and neither was it a disturbance. He ordered that the cartoonist's sketches be returned to him and that he be released to continue with his work, difusing what might have been an even messier episode. Batswana ranks joint 42nd with South Africa in the latest World Press Freedom Index.

Read his newspaper's account of the incident HERE: 

>