'Kingo'.
James Gayo is the artist and creator of the Tanzanian comic strip 'Kingo', that is also read in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. He went to school in Mwanza and when he dropped out of school, he worked with the painter RJ Kapera for a while. Gayo started his clever and witty cartoon character in the early 1990s. It has appeared in magazines like Uhuru and Majira, but also in its own Kingo magazine since 1994. Gayo sees it as his duty to ensure that cartoons and comics do not die out in his country. Other artists that have contributed to his humour magazine are Cloudy Chatanda, Willy Lyamba, Noah Yongolo, Paul Ndunguru, Ally Massoud and Nathan Mpangala from Tanzania, and Madd, Frank Odoi and Gado from Kenya. With the aid of the organization TWAWZA, Gayo has managed to distribute the Kingo magazine with educational content in long-distance buses in Tanzania.
Gayo is also active as a filmmaker. He is known for his two short films, 'The Trip' and 'The Retirement Day', and he has also written and directed for TV broadcasts. Through his company's training division, GABA Art Center, Gayo and his colleagues train young, aspiring Tanzanian filmmakers.
'Kingo'.