‘Pambazuka: Dawn of the Kenyan State’ is a graphic novel that tells the story of a newly independent African nation and its relationship with the rest of the continent. It is a dramatized account based on actual people, historical events and locations. Most of the story is based in the virulent 1960s when countries that had just gained self-determination struggled with various challenges; from divergent political ideologies to dashing the hopes of citizens who expected a better life after the departure of colonial powers. The book also examines the fast changing society and culture that occurred at the time by embedding a fictional family as a backdrop to the unfolding events. It lays a rigid backgrounder for the reader, as well, by going back in time to the formation of the ancient African continent, early movement of human populations, the colonial period and eventual rise of nationalism. Content layout is made up of comic panels, full-page illustrations, speech balloons, text side bars and information plates.
2026