Nanda Soobben Cartoonist Iillustrator

Nanda Soobben drew his first cartoon of Nelson
Mandela when he was 22 and Mandela was still in
prison. It centred on the dispute about who the
country's real president was - PW Botha or
FW de Klerk. In the cartoon, Margaret Thatcher
asks, 'Why not Mandela?'. As South Africa's only
"black" political cartoonist, Nanda Soobben struggled
throughout the years of apartheid under the
watchful eyes of the censors. His work appeared in
the alternative newspapers where he had to be very
subtle to get his message across. Though he held a
degree in Graphic Arts, he was unable to have a job
as a graphic designer as those were "white only"
positions. He worked, instead, as a sign writer in
Durban. Finally, in 1980 he began as a cartoonist
with “Post Natal”, a newspaper in Durban. Due to
frustration with the political situation, he left South
Africa for Brazil in 1987, where he won several
awards for his watercolour works. While in Brazil he
painted a mural as a tribute to the Rio-92 World
Earth Summit. The 10 metre work has been installed
in the Darke de Mattos Park on the island of
Paquet`a in the Bay of Rio. Soobben has been
inducted as a member of the Brazilian Society
of Arts. He then went to New York City where
he created a peace mural in Montclair, New York,
which was critically acclaimed and featured on
ABC television. He returned to South Africa after
Mandela's release and began his long-running
cartoon, "The Otherside", for the “Natal Witness”,
and founded his own school of design in Durban.
In the 1990s Nanda Soobben produced cartoons
for the “Independent on Saturday” and “The Natal
Witness” in Pietermaritzburg. He also completed an
internship with the San Francisco Art Institute and
studied at the Parsons School of Art in New York.
In July 1997, Soobben addressed the World Affairs
Council of Northern California and the San Francisco
International Program. He presented a paper titled:
“Working as a Black Political Cartoonist during
Apartheid”. Previous speakers at this event included
world leaders like Soviet leader Gorbachev. Soobben
has been commissioned by the Department of Arts,
Culture, Science and Technology to produce a
20minute docu-animation film, based on his political
cartoons about Apartheid. Soobben is also the
dynamic creative director and founder of the Centre
for Fine Art Animation & Design (CFAD).
This tertiary art school which Soobben founded in
1994 offers an Integrated Fine Art and Graphic
Design Diploma and also a Higher Diploma in
Animation. Advertising agencies regularly commission
Soobben to produce work ranging from caricatures,
water colour paintings, product design to animation.
Durban film producer Anant Singh purchased a
collection of Soobben’s cartoons highlighting Nelson
Mandela’s term in office as the President of South
Africa. This collection was presented to Nelson
Mandela at his 77th birthday celebrations.
Currently, Nanda Soobben is the cartoonist for the
“Daily News” in Durban.



	NANDA SOOBBEN
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	Nanda Soobben drew his first cartoon of Nelson Mandela when he was 22 and Mandela was still in prison. It centred on the dispute about who the country's real president was - PW Botha or FW de Klerk. In the cartoon, Margaret Thatcher asks, 'Why not Mandela?'. As South Africa's only "black" political cartoonist, Nanda Soobben struggled throughout the years of apartheid under the watchful eyes of the censors. His work appeared in the alternative newspapers where he had to be very subtle to get his message across. Though he held a degree in Graphic Arts, he was unable to have a job as a graphic designer as those were "white only" positions. He worked, instead, as a sign writer in Durban. Finally, in 1980 he began as a cartoonist with “Post Natal”, a newspaper in Durban. Due to frustration with the political situation, he left South Africa for Brazil in 1987, where he won several awards for his watercolour works. While in Brazil he painted a mural as a tribute to the Rio-92 World Earth Summit. The 10 metre work has been installed in the Darke de Mattos Park on the island of Paquet`a in the Bay of Rio. Soobben has been inducted as a member of the Brazilian Society of Arts. He then went to New York City where he created a peace mural in Montclair, New York, which was critically acclaimed and featured on ABC television. He returned to South Africa after Mandela's release and began his long-running cartoon, "The Otherside", for the “Natal Witness”, and founded his own school of design in Durban. In the 1990s Nanda Soobben produced cartoons for the “Independent on Saturday” and “The Natal Witness” in Pietermaritzburg. He also completed an internship with the San Francisco Art Institute and studied at the Parsons School of Art in New York. In July 1997, Soobben addressed the World Affairs Council of Northern California and the San Francisco International Program. He presented a paper titled: “Working as a Black Political Cartoonist during Apartheid”. Previous speakers at this event included world leaders like Soviet leader Gorbachev. Soobben has been commissioned by the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology to produce a 20minute docu-animation film, based on his political cartoons about Apartheid. Soobben is also the dynamic creative director and founder of the Centre for Fine Art Animation & Design (CFAD). This tertiary art school which Soobben founded in 1994 offers an Integrated Fine Art and Graphic Design Diploma and also a Higher Diploma in Animation. Advertising agencies regularly commission Soobben to produce work ranging from caricatures, water colour paintings, product design to animation. Durban film producer Anant Singh purchased a collection of Soobben’s cartoons highlighting Nelson Mandela’s term in office as the President of South Africa. This collection was presented to Nelson Mandela at his 77th birthday celebrations. Currently, Nanda Soobben is the cartoonist for the “Daily News” in Durban.

NANDA SOOBBEN