L’artiste et auteur nigérian Àlàbá Ònájìn prépare une nouvelle série de BD, « The Adventures of Ajani », qui s’adresse autant aux adultes qu’aux enfants. Dans un style influencé par la « ligne claire » d’Hergé, Àlàbá Ònájìn présente le point de vue nigérian sur la fin de la domination britannique dans les années 1960 à travers son héros Ajani, journaliste yoruba malin et curieux et fervent partisan de l’indépendance.
Dans le premier tome de la série intitulé THE KELP CONSPIRACY, alors que le Nigéria tente de gagner son indépendance, les puissances étrangères pèsent encore fortement sur la gouvernance du pays et la corruption s’installe. La société britannique Kelp Oil and Gas cherche à faire échouer le projet d’indépendance et garder ainsi la mainmise sur l’exploitation pétrolière de la région. A travers des personnages emblématiques, l’histoire véhicule les valeurs de l’amitié, la loyauté et la victoire du bien sur le mal.
Biographie de l’auteur : Àlàbá Ònájìn is a Freelance Cartoonist and Illustrator. He was born in Lagos state, Nigeria and has a Diploma in Freelance Cartooning and Illustration from The Morris College of Journalism, Surrey, Kent, UK. He is currently living in Lagos, Nigeria. He has always had a passion for telling stories through his drawings ever since he was introduced to Hergé’s Tintin books at a very young age; these books sparked an energy to bring his stories to young readers around the world. Ònájìn’s work includes Anike Eleko, a children’s comic book on girls’ education by Farafina Books, On Ajayi Crowther Street, a graphic novel published by Cassava Republic in collaboration with the German cultural organization Goethe Institut, and other art collaborations with UNESCO on the Role of Women in African History Project, illustrating the lives of three great African women: Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Empress Taytu Betul of Ethiopia, and Miriam Makeba.
“I found in the words and pictures of this Nigerian artist, the page-turning sense of adventure I so admired in Tintin, without the impetuous colonialist language and bigoted depictions that had made me shelf Hergé’s iconic work. . . Rather than present simple and dichotomized plots, we learn of Nigeria’s past and are drawn to understand the historical implications of colonization, as well as politics, environmental issues, and ultimately, evergreen and universal human relations. Giving us a lens into a vibrant Western Africa, while making the subjects presented deeply personal and relatable.” – Juana Medina, author/illustrator of the award-winning Juana and Lucas series