Nairobi News

Nation Media Group’s Taifa Leo cartoonist Samuel Muigai, popularly known as Igah, has won an international award in a contest organised by the Iranian Consulate in collaboration with the African Union.

Igah was feted on Tuesday after emerging top cartoonist in Kenya in the hotly contested World Cartoon Festival on “Applying arts and culture in silencing the guns in Africa”.

He clinched position 128 ahead of two other Kenyan cartoonists from different media houses, who were listed at position 194 and 205 respectively.

Brazilian cartoonist, Cau Gomez, took the first position globally in the festival which attracted a total of 687 participants.

He was followed by Ares from Cuba and Iranian Michel Moro Gomez at position two and three respectively.

The award giving ceremony was held in Nairobi during the International Day of Peace and Dialogue among Civilization.

In a press release, Iranian envoy to Kenya Jafar Barmaki said his country is committed to enabling an African continent with strong cultural identity, common heritage and shared values.

He noted that it is only through this that Africa will rise above her adversities, achieve peace and development which is also in alignment with AU’s Agenda 2063 aimed at ending wars and violent conflicts in the continent.

“Guns are designed to protect lives but can easily turn lethal and destructive when they land into wrong hands as witnessed from several incidents across the world.

“A thousand people die each day from gunshot wounds, and three times as many are left with severe injuries. If the death, injury and disability resulting from small arms were categorised as a disease, it would qualify as an epidemic. Yet the media and popular perception tend to suggest that gun violence is simply an unavoidable consequence of human cruelty or deprivation, rather than a public health problem which can be prevented or at least reduced,” the envoy said.