DRC's popular cartoonist Tembo Kashauri mirroring his society

Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in the DRC, Tembo Kashauri is a popular designer working on all fronts.

He is a cartoonist with a popular local newspaper “Le Potential”.

With his pencil and paper Kash as he is fondly called narrates stories, depicting the behavior of Congolese public figures.

His cartoons are considered a mirror of a society where politicians are more concerned about their personal interest rather than focusing on the general interest.

Tembo has been comfortably doing this job for the past 25 years as he places himself in the shoes of the population.

“ I am a cartoonist and advertising designer. I feel at ease moving from one trade to the other. The professions are linked and I use virtually the same material to move from a poster to a press cartoon. Wherever I am, I just open my bag and use my pencil and piece of paper to produce a comic strip,” Tembo said.

The cartoonist says he draws inspiration from listening to people. The originality of his works is portrayed by a mix of text and image.

The themes are based on news, politics, as well as the socio economic life of the country.

Many of those who see the cartoons can identify themselves with the stories.

For instance he narrates a story of a ten-year-old boy who likes school but has difficulties because he lacks school shoes. He then starts using whatever means to get to school.

“The story is a tribute to a famous Maxime . It pays tribute to the spirit of the resourcefulness of the Kinois tribe,” he said.

The cartoonist remains confident that the DRC is at the forefront of comic strips in black Africa.

He adds that Africa has got enormous potentials but it all depends on the cultural policy of the government which if well implemented could unearth more talent and encourage the role of cartoonists in shaping the society.