Bob Kanza was born Bob Destin in the Republic of Congo in 1977. In 1995, he decided to study natural sciences, then changed direction and transferred to the study of medicine, only to have this interrupted by the civil war of 1997. He immigrated to Ivory Coast to study Information Science. He graduated in 1999 but did not succeed in finding a job in the ICT sector in the capital city of Abidjan. He did, however, come into contact with Ivory Coasters Zohoré Lassane and Illary Simplice, both political illustrators. They saw talent in his drawing and made him one of the editorial staff at Gbich!, their brand new comic magazine.
In April 2000, Kanza's popular comic character 'Sergent Deutogo' was born; a corrupt police officer who offers his services in return for two coins ('deux togos'). Gbich! magazine developed into a much-read online magazine, boasting heroes like Cauphy Gombo, Jo Bleck, Gnamankoudji Zekinan and Tommy Lapoasse.
Because of yet another civil war in September 2002, Kanza moved to France. He briefly worked for the weekly magazine Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent in Paris but has been mainly working as a freelance illustrator and web designer since 2003.
Bob Destin site
(en français)
Picha African comic exhibition