Cartoonists Get Behind the Soccer

Corrupt politicians, dodgy business persons and lazy public servants will all benefit from at least a partial reprieve from local cartoonists who have shifted their focus towards the Soccer World Cup, and joined the rest of South Africa in a mood of patriotic goodwill.From Andy, Brandan and Chip to Xaba, Yalo and Zapiro, South African cartoonists will be challenged to find a cynical angle as all seems to be on track just before the kick off.

The country is joined by the entire planet in a wave of positive sentiment - not usually a choice ingredient for editorial cartoons, but in this instance it seems that the cartoonists are prepared to make an exception.

Zapiro sets the tone with a cartoon imagining the impossible: Bafana Bafana winning the world cup! Madam & Eve creators Rico and Steve Francis have come to the party by allowing even their most sceptical character, Mother Anderson, to catch the World Cup fever, while Eve has been capitalising on all the entrepreneurial opportunities the event has on offer.

Nanda Soobben cleverly revives the theme of the rainbow nation by integrating the rainbow into Durban's magnificent Moses Mabhida stadium.

Jerm has kicked off with a series of vuvuzela blasts and insists that during the next month soccer will be a prevalent theme.  Miles adds an elephant's trumpet to the orchestra of noise.

Yalo reports that the state president's office has changed his music-on-hold to vuvuzela bursts while the president is too busy (presumably watching soccer) to take calls.

Mama Taxi creators Gavin Thomson and Deni Brown have created a series of full page soccer themed strips for a supplement to the Afrikaans papers that carry their strip and leading caricaturist  Maynderd Vosloo has prepared a series of caricatures of the tournament's biggest heroes. Bethuel Mangena has been commissioned to deliver a world cup themed cartoon for each edition of the 'Let's Go 2010' supplement to six titles in the Avusa Media group; kicking off (after the opening match) with the assertion that the Mexican flavour of football is "not that hot".

And so, a positive wind of change has taken over the national cartoon spaces - for the time being at least - like a vuvuzela blast of breath of fresh air.

Tap in and watch as the cartoons unfold daily here on Africartoons.com.

MAMA TAXI takes centre field at the Soccer World Cup.

Posted on Jun 11, 2010 by Africartoons