AKINOLA LASEKAN: Cartooning, Art, and Nationalism at the Dawn of a New Nigeria
dele jegede and Aderonke Adesanya

Excerpts from the book

This book chronicles the life and times of Akinola Lasekan – auto-didact and self-motivated artist, cartoonist-crusader, culture enthusiast, fierce nationalist and a teacher – who carved out an enduring and brave niche for himself in spite of the arrogance of the blatantly racist British colonial regime. His paintings and drawings continue to elicit admiration and introspection while his brilliant activism (as a pioneer cartoon journalist) has traversed the Nigerian political sphere over the past half century.

 

This volume seeks to enrich the reader’s knowledge regarding the routes that Lasekan took through time and space (in colonial and independent Nigeria, rural and urban spaces, and in locations at home and abroad) as well as the ripples he made while developing, exhibiting, and sharing his talent.

 

It is also a clarion call to today’s cartoonists to etch their names on the sands of time by becoming more sensitive to global issues, broadening their horizon of cultural perception, and developing familiarity with the work of others.

 

This insightful and thought-provoking book reiterates why this generalissimo of the brush has long been considered a respected figure in cartoon journalism.