Thread by @gathara

This is an appreciation tweet for a living legend, @itsamaddworld, who's been doing amazingly insightful and hilarious work for 35 years, ever since he joined @NationAfrica in 1986 as Kenya's first full-time political cartoonist.

Question: What's your favourite Maddo cartoon?

Mine was of incident in Nyanza (I may be mistaken but I think it may have been when Safari Rally went to Kisumu) and he drew a crowd bearing stones shouting "Wadwaro donjo!!" or something to that effect.

Maddo gave me my first break as a cartoonist in 1997. He had started Africa Illustrated cartoon newsmagazine I went to pitch him my toons at Likoni Rd (he had been poached by @StandardKenya in 1990, creating room for @iGaddo at Nation) and he graciously agreed to publish them.

Later, it was Maddo who would recommend me to be the first General Secretary of the Association of East African Cartoonists, a job I would do for a decade.

People forget the barriers Maddo broke and the doors he opened for so many others. Before him, there were few indigenous, Kenyan cartoonists of note. He was also the first to draw Mo1 on the cover of Society magazine in 1992. His courage allowed political satire to flourish here.

At @NationAfrica and at @StandardKenya, Maddo made Page 3 (where the main cartoon and the paper's editorial used to be published) the most popular page after the front page. Around the country, one would frequently encounter cutouts of his cartoons plastered on living room walls.

Maddo even changed the way Kenyans speak, introducing and popularising words and phrases in the popular lingo. He gifted us "Boom! Twaf!" as shorthand for loud thumping music, and "T.K.K" for corruption.

Maddo is also hugely knowledgeable in Kenyan and African music and chairs @KetebulMusic. Here he is speaking to @theelephantinfo on the history of Kenyan music.
theelephant.info/videos/2017/11…

Remember Miguel Sede? Another first by Maddo.

And if course, Maddo pioneered the composite cartoon with the weekly "It's a Madd, Madd World" which has been continuously published for over 3 decades. Btw, some MMW strips have been compiled into a book with a foreword by @jnyairo. You can buy it here:
amazon.com/Madd-World-Pau…

Anyway, wherever you'll be this evening, please raise a glass to Paul "Maddo" Kelemba and to 35 years of delivering cutting edge political education, analysis and entertainment to the masses. Here's looking to 35 more. @itsamaddworld