UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AND DESIGN
BDS 413
AESTHETIC ILLUSTRATIONS USING AFRICAN MYSTICISM
TO EDUCATE THE YOUTH IN NAIROBI, KENYA
(Specialization- ILLUSTRATION)
CARLTON NJUGUNA NJENGA
(B05/52308/2012)
Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the award of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in design (B.A Design)
Supervisor:
Mrs. Francesca Odundo
Submitted on 18th December 2015
DECLARATION I declare that this project entitled “Aesthetic illustrations using African Mysticism to educate the youth in Nairobi, Kenya” ―is my own work and to the best of my knowledge has not been presented to any other university for a degree or any other certificate.
Signature……………………………………………..Date:………………………………
CARLTON NJUGUNA NJENGA
B05/52308/2012
School of the Arts and Design, University of Nairobi
This research project has been submitted for examination with my approval as
University Supervisor.
Signature:…………………………………………Date:…………………………
…………….
MRS. FRANCESCA ODUNDO
School of the Arts and Design, University of Nairobi
DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this project work to my parents Mr. Samuel Njenga and Mrs. Margaret Muthoni and my sister Michelle Wangari, who have instilled valuable academic discipline and a hardworking attitude in me. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have made the completion of this project possible.
First, I would like to thank the School of the Arts and Design, University of Nairobi, to whom I am deeply indebted to, for supporting me through the four years.
Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor Mrs. Francesca Odundo and Dr.
Lilac Osanjo whose knowledge, insight and encouragement helped in shaping this project to fruition. Thank you for reading both the proposal and report at its various stages and providing valuable advice. I am also grateful to all my Lecturers who have imparted knowledge over the past four years of my Undergraduate studies.
I would also wish to acknowledge and appreciate the motivation and support given to me by my colleagues at the School of The Arts and Design at the University of
Nairobi, thank you for the constant reminders on class meetings and group discussions and also for dissecting that paper. Most especially, I would like to thank my family for supporting me to achieve great endeavors all through my educational development; thank you for being a constant source of inspiration.
And to the Almighty God, who made all things possible
ABSTRACT Today the world is changing. The social media is a buzz, globalization and climate change are just a few of the powerful and complex forces at work. As these changes occur with limited resources and limited time to make the required impact, the Kenyan government has made strides to propose laws that protect cultural heritage in Kenya for endangered wildlife has focused its efforts to promote sustainable environmental conservation, with special emphasis on endangered species which are considered to be of special ecological, economic and cultural importance.
As designers we need to be inspired by what is around us and adapt to these changes. Today environmental conservation and culture has a huge impact on illustration design and it’s compatible with all traditional cultures. It can be adapted to different sociocultural contexts. For example, African cultural beliefs and practices play an important part in communication, were attributed to writing and were regarded as signs or marks representing something or relaying certain message about one thing or the other. They not only provide information and education but also have an aesthetic value. The traditional African Mysticism has been reborn today in contemporary cartoons, narratives, paintings.
This research will be composed of five major chapters, where by each chapter will handle major segment of the study Chapter one will have the basic introduction and guidelines into the whole research. It will contain the introduction, objectives and scope of the study. Chapter two will look at literature on Illustration design, the youth, African mysticism, popular illustration mediums for the youth, African art vs. Western art and also it will highlight on the use of more Visual argumentation. Chapter three outlines the methodologies used by the researcher to get the objectives of the study, which will include data collection methods and analysis. Chapter four will account for the data analysis and findings, where by the researcher will base his data collection on the corporate identity, advertising, photography and packaging. Chapter five will entail the recommendations stated on the basis of this research.
Table of Contents DECLARATION ...... 2
DEDICATION ...... 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 4
ABSTRACT ...... 5
CHAPTER ONE ...... 10
1.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 12
1.2 BACKGROND OF THE STUDY ...... 13
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ...... 14
1.4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ...... 14
1.4.1 Main objectives ...... 14
1.4.2 Specific objectives ...... 14
1.5.0 Research questions ...... 15
1.6.0 JUSTIFICATION ...... 15
1.7.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ...... 16
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ...... 16
1.9.0 Concept ...... 16
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 18
2.0 INTROUCTION ...... 19
2.2.0 AFRICAN MYSTICISM ...... 19
2.2.1 Learning from the past ...... 21
2.3 MYSTICISM IN WESTERN WORLD OFCOMICS ...... 22
2.4 URBAN YOUTH AND MEDIUMS OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION ...... 24
2.5 STREET ART AND GRAFITTI ...... 25
2.6 AFRICAN ART VS WESTERN ART ...... 27
2.7.0 POWER OF ILLUSTRATION ...... 29
2.7.1 VISUAL ARGUMENTATION ...... 31 2.8.0 ILLUSTRATION DESIGN PROCESS ...... 32
2.8.1 The Design Process ...... 32
2.9.0 EXEMPLARS ...... 34
2.9.1 Abayomi Barber ...... 34
2.9.2 LeSean Thomas ...... 35
CONCLUSION ...... 36
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...... 37
3.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 38
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN ...... 38
3.2 TARGET POPULATION ...... 38
3.3.0 SAMPLING PROCEDURES ...... 39
3.3.1 SNOWBALLING ...... 39
3.3.2 CONVENIENT SAMPLING ...... 39
3.4.0 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS ...... 40
3.4.2.0 FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWING ...... 41
3.5.0 DATA PRESENTATION ...... 42
3.6 CONCLUSION ...... 42
CHAPTER 4: ...... 43
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS ...... 43
4.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 44
4.1.0 FINDINGS ...... 44
4.1.1 ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS ...... 45
4.2 OVERVIEW ...... 45
4.3.0 PROFILE OF SAMPLE POPULATION ...... 45
OPINION REGARDING PREFERRED ILLUSTRATION MEDIUM ...... 48
4.3.1 Local Content against Western Content ...... 49 4.3.2 OPINIONS REGARDING WHAT INFLUENCED THE CHOICE OF ILLUSTRATION MEDIUM ...... 49
4.4.0 FINDINGS FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS ...... 50
CHAPTER5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ...... 54
5.0 CONCLUSION ...... 55
5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 56
7.0 Appendices ...... 60
Questionnaire guide ...... 60
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION Illustration design is a powerful medium of communication that has existed since the era of cave paintings to today’s sophisticated mediums like animation, 3D art, and Street art among others.
As designer we are inspired by what is around us and design has a very unique relationship with nature and it has been stated that design is a reflection of nature especially the things that nature provides such as flowers, seeds, stars, animals, birds and our very own culture, combined with our innermost selves designers are now able to come up come up with a creative form. Culture today has a huge impact on design according to (Sasaki, 2009).Illustration design is compatible with all traditional cultures and can be adapted in different socio-cultural contexts. Cultural understanding plays an important role in the exercise of place branding. (Mafundikwa, 2007) States that design has always been inherent to African culture; designers today continue to use their culture and other forms of inspiration to create aesthetic art. According to (Mafundikwa, 2007) even graphic designers rely on the African cultural symbols to create a style and concept. This researcher focused on using African Mysticism incorporated into creating aesthetic illustration designs.
The researcher intends to create illustration in the four major styles areas; Painting, book illustration, Printmaking and photography.
Painting used to be so simple .It was the mediated result of an artist’s application of wet paint on a flat surface. Painting has evolved in technique, medium, subject matter and style since the era of the cave paintings. It has turned itself out in mixed-media assemblages that include both organic and synthetic materials occasionally involving photography and digital printing. It has borrowed from commercial illustrations and architectural, tattoos. The Designer intends to create paintings in the style of street art and graffiti. The variables the designer intends to manipulate are the mediums which include materials such as paints, charcoal, pastels, and subject matter closely inspired by themes of African mysticism.
Book illustration is a form of fine art that is used to create images for books. The illustration usually help add to or enhance the story in some way. The designer intends to make illustrations in the form of storyboards for a story of choice, or comic book style of storytelling.
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers the process of creating prints that have an element of originality rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. The designer intends the methods of print making which are screen printing, Lithography and etching to come up with illustrations. The designer can manipulate variables such as the pigments, and techniques.
Photography is defined as the science, art and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other.
1.2 BACKGROND OF THE STUDY Any discussion on the twin themes of magic and witchcraft is shrouded in ignorance, prejudice and falsification. It is full of derogatory attitudes which belittles and despises the whole concept of mystical power (Mbiti, 1969:194). Most people who quickly rise up to challenge African Mysticism without giving it a thought. The researcher will focus on creating illustrations that educate the youth on the
phenomenon of African Mysticism.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The existing illustrators have noted and seen this need, in their pursuit to turn it to
opportunity; they have met low levels of success in addressing the need for
illustration showing African mysticism. Therefore the statement of the problem is
“The existing Illustrations have not successfully addressed the need to educate as
well as inspire appreciation for African mysticism among the youth.
1.4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4.1 Main objectives The cardinal aim of this research is to develop illustrations that that will promote
the appreciation of African mysticism among Kenyan urban youth
1.4.2 Specific objectives To establish which type of illustrations will promote appreciation of African
mysticism among Kenyan urban youth.
To determine why the urban youth consider African Mysticism sinful or evil.
To determine what communication mediums of art that appeal to the urban youth
1.5.0 Research questions What type of illustrations would promote appreciation of African Mysticism among
The Kenyan urban youth?
Why do the urban youth consider African Mysticism as sinful or evil?
Which communication mediums appeal to the urban youth?
1.6.0 JUSTIFICATION The researcher’s reason for carrying out this study is to find out how illustration
and its different principles will affect the youths’ attitude towards African
Mysticism. Pictures may have several functions in argumentation. . Pictures are
able to provide vivid presence (evidential), realism and immediacy in perception
(cf. Kjeldsen, 2012b), which is difficult to achieve with words only. Pictures are
rich in visual information, because they provide innumerable details for the eye.
We may say that pictorial representation has the ability of performing a sort of
“thick description” (cf. Geertz, 1973), which in an instant may provide a full sense
of an actual situation and an embedded narrative connected to certain lines of
reasoning. This visual richness and semantic “thickness” disappears if we reduce
the pictorial representation to nothing more than “thin” propositions. For this reason
the various illustration mediums such as painting, book illustrations, and printing
techniques will effectively convey the message by producing illustration images.
Therefore affecting the attitude of the youth towards African Mysticism.
1.7.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research will be concerned with that have been used as inspiration and create awareness in the need to specify their origins and their true usage.
This researcher also seeks to add more knowledge on existing literature on the discipline.
The researcher also hopes to give insight on why illustration is important to African
Mysticism
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY As much as the study has explored the target population, by gathering information from youth only in University of Nairobi, it cannot be authoritatively used to represent the situation on the ground in the Kenyan. This is because it only narrows down to those studying at the learning institution and the situation in it is definitely different from other geographical regions in the country.
The accuracy of the data collected was limited by the skill of the researcher administering the tests and questionnaires.
1.9.0 Concept The main idea is to borrow from African Mysticism which consist of legends, proverbs, myths, stories etcetera, so as to tap into their unique visual elements and rich cultural content.
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 INTROUCTION This part will look at the scholarly works and articles that have informed the research. It will also look at exemplars of which the designer aspires to emulate. In addition, it will have an analysis of the various authors and their research on the relevant study areas. The literature presented has been collected from various books, journals, magazines, internet reports and publications. The researcher studied various works done by different designers, design concepts and theories from various people. Studies done on various illustration mediums will also be mentioned.
2.2.0 AFRICAN MYSTICISM Any discussion on the twin themes of magic and witchcraft is shrouded in ignorance, prejudice and falsification. It is full of derogatory attitudes which belittles and despises the whole concept of mystical power (Mbiti, 1969:194).
According to Bernard Gechiko Nyabwari (MA) & Dickson Nkonge Kagema
(PhD), Magical power may be expressed through words especially from a senior person to a junior person in terms of age such as the words of a parent to a child carry a lot of power .They could bring blessings or misfortune
Mystical power may cause people to walk on fire, lie on thorns or nails, send curses or harm including death from a distance. Practitioners can also change into animals, spit on snakes and cause them to split open and die or stupefy thieves so that they are caught red-handed (Mbiti, 1969:194). They can convert inanimate objects into biologically active living creatures, or enable experts to delve deep to reveal hidden information, or reveal the future, or detect thieves and other culprits. The designer intends to create illustrations that will feature characters for example walking on fire, changing into animals converting inanimate objects into biologically living active creatures.
Mystical power may be transmitted through charms, amulets, medical portions, rags, feathers, figurines, special incantations, or cuttings on the body. This power can be used to protect homesteads, families, fields, cattle, and other property. The designer intends to create illustrations which will feature characters for example wearing or using charms, amulets, medical portions, rags, feathers, figurines, special incantations, or tattoos on the body.
According to Bernard Gechiko Nyabwari (MA) & Dickson Nkonge Kagema
(PhD), good magic is accepted and praised, mainly used by medicine men, diviners and rainmakers. They use their knowledge or tap into this power for the benefit of the community.
All of these visible signs are a pointer to people’s belief in mystical power. Some of these powers are protective; others are intended to bring good health, fortune, and prosperity. The power of good is believed to be directly supplied by God or it may be given through the spirits, the living dead or form part of the invisible force of nature.
Abayomi Barber argues that the works are mostly philosophical, ritualistic or magical (mysteriously charming) but seldom, concerned with the political complexities of a contemporary African society. Mystical art thrives in producing beautiful landscapes, sometimes philosophical, the things we witness in our day to day activities
2.2.1 Learning from the past Zimbabwean designer, Saki Mafundikwa is a maverick who celebrates Africa’s creative heritage. His goal is to bring African art back to its roots. Saki delivered an inspiring talk on INGENUITY AND ELEGANCE IN ANCIENT AFRICAN
ALPHABETS AT TED 2013, in which he encourages African artists, designers al creatives in general to look at their own cultural heritage for artistic inspiration rather than looking for it in the outside world. Saki sums up this concept with the
Ghanaian glyph Sankofa which literally means “return and get it” – or “lean from the past.”
Saki Mafundikwa says, “We must go to the past so as to inform our present and build on our future”.
African Mysticism is part of our rich African heritage a fact that Bernard Gechiko
Nyabwari (MA) & Dickson Nkonge Kagema (PhD) support in their thesis The
Impact of Magic and Witchcraft in the Social, Economic, Political and Spiritual
Life of African Communities, (May 2014)
“Belief in mysterious power is found throughout Africa. Indeed it is part and parcel of African traditional religion. It is a power that is real, distinct from hypnotism, conjuring tricks, obvious cheating, manipulation of hidden means of communication or the result of psychological conditions. There is no African society which does not hold belief in mystical power of one type or another.” 2.3 MYSTICISM IN WESTERN WORLD OFCOMICS The classical allusions of superheroes in comics or animated cartoons with underlying themes of magic is an example of the celebration of popular western culture As of October 19, 2015, the Comic Vine listed on its website
(http://www.comicvine.com/dc-comics/4010-10/),DC is a publisher of comic books featuring iconic characters and teams such as Superman, Batman, Wonder
Woman, Green Lantern, the Justice League of America, and the Teen Titans, and is considered the originator of the American superhero genre. DC(Detective
Comics), along with rival Marvel Comics, credited with characters and teams such as Ironman, Thor, The x-men, Fantastic Four, is one of the "big two" American comic book publishers.
According to (Pitcher v. Luke) magic is a main ingredient in the development of the superhero characters in both the DC and Marvel comics. He observes that
Magical power in the superheroes comics has its roots in the ancient world. One such example of the allusion to the ancient world to be more specific the Greco-Roman side of the ancient world is Wonder woman, Pitcher, Luke V., Saying ‘Shazam’: The
Magic of Antiquity in Superhero Comics, Durham University
(2009), “…it is unsurprising that references to the ancient world in the universe of DC comics cluster around the person of Wonder
Figure 2.0 Doctor strange
Woman, whom the gods shaped from clay to be the daughter of Hippolyta the
Queen of the Amazons and the champion of Pallas Athene. Others are less obvious.” (Pitcher v. Luke) gives another example of Dr. Fate and Dr. Strange who draw their magical capabilities from ancient Babylon, Pitcher Luke V., Saying ‘Shazam’: The
Magic of Antiquity in Superhero Comics, Durham University (2009),
“References to the ancient world tend to congregate around these mystically inclined characters. Magical power in superhero comics commonly has its roots in the ancient world. The most potent spell-book in Marvel
Comics, Dr .Strange’s Book of the Vishanti, first appears in a temple of Marduk in ancient Babylon.i The item which empowers the DC magician Doctor Fate is a helmet, discovered in a pyramid, that contains the essence of the
Babylonian deity Nabu.
Figure 2.2 Doctor Fate
In itself, the link between antiquity and magical power in superhero comics is unsurprising. Real-world occult and magical traditions have repeatedly stressed their authenticity and authority by claiming access to the secret wisdom of a remote past. Occultists used the texts of Vergil and Homer not just for fortune-telling (the sortes Vergilianae), but as the basis for actual incantations.ii Beyond comics, contemporary culture continues to make the connection between ancient lore and magical power. Joss Whedon’s Buffyverse is an oft-cited example of the popular linkage between antiquity and occult potential,iii whether for weal or for woe.”
The concept of mysticism and the classical allusion of superheroes with the underlying themes of alluding to the ancient world in comics is often closely associated or backed by science fiction rather than by the occult. Powers of some of the character are justified by scientific basis (Pitcher V Luke), (2009).
“The popular consciousness more readily associates superhero comics with science-fiction than with the occult. There is justice in this perception. Superhero comics usually go to some trouble to establish a scientific or pseudo-scientific basis for the powers of their major characters. Marvel’s X-Men derive their abilities from genetic mutation; the alien cell structure of DC’s Superman is a natural transducer for the energy from Earth’s Sun. Also common are heroes who enhance their capabilities through advanced technology. Witness
Batman’s utility belt, or Iron Man’s suit of powered armour.”
Figure 2.3 the X-men
The western world packages the concepts of mysticism in a clever way so that it’s appealing, interesting, and relevant to their audiences. Mysticism is presented to audiences in the form of superheroes who save the day from the bad guys. Back in
Kenya the question begs, is this the same case here?
2.4 URBAN YOUTH AND MEDIUMS OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION The urban youth consists of people aged between 11 yrs. and 35yrs. who exist in the 21st century. “One of the things that's so important about arts education is it ignites a young person’s, or any person’s, ability to imagine, to dream, to envision what’s possible, not only in the world, but also for themselves," (Jason Duchin). This is the reason the designer has singled out this group of people
Street art is one medium popular that greatly appeals to the youth. Jaklyn
Babington points out: “throughout art history, artists have often created and displayed their works in public spaces and numerous art historical movements have had a political and/or socially motivating element to them. Street art is no different, it is just perhaps more proactive and determined than other forms of contemporary art today in its strategies and efforts to reach the widest possible audience.”
Urban youth are not restricted to a certain location or ethnicity. Urban youth come from all areas and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Authors and researchers all agree that the youth are drawn to art that tells stories. They have a hunger to be aware of their environment and the history of the items they interact with (Alaide Poppa, Jason Duchin)
2.5 STREET ART AND GRAFITTI Two very distinct and popular methods of visual communication that people today interact with on a daily basis on the street. Hughes, Melissa L., "Street Art &
Graffiti Art: Developing an Understanding." Thesis, Georgia State University,
2009,
“They have become advertently or not part of our visual culture. The
understanding and definition of street art as we see it today begins as a subculture of graffiti art, often crossing over and borrowing from one
another. Merely identifying street art is never a uniform, effortless task as it
does not have one singular definition. Street art, originally coined by Allan
Schwartzman in 1985 (Lewisohn, 2008), is an all-encompassing varied
artistic expression against an urban backdrop, deriving directly from the
graffiti revolution, in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional state. Often
referred to as post-graffiti (Bou, 2005, p.7), it carries a new set of aesthetic
ideals, media, and techniques that were not witnessed in the 1970s and
1980s graffiti art movement in New York City.”
Hughe L. Melissa observes that street art unlike graffiti uses a variety of media. She notes that street art artists’ work is usually done in mixed media such as charcoal, paint, collage, spray-paint, pens, markers, airbrushing, and wheat
Pasting. She notes that the quality of work today has greatly improved since the products they use today are of a far superior quality compared to the kind they used back in the 70s and 80s.Avarion of stickers and stencils are some of the primary forms of media that tend to be used mostly in street art. Hughes attributes this to the ability of stencils to yield a highly contrasted image fully loaded with expression.
Gleaton, Kristina Marie, Power to the People: Street Art as an Agency for Change
University of Minnesota, (2012),
“The art form “became symbolic of a certain attitude. Just as graffiti writing
was a visual symbol of all things hip hop in the 1980s, street art is inextricably linked with a caring, sharing ‘no logo’ anti-capitalist
rebelliousness” Just as street art developed from graffiti, the art form itself
is continually evolving. It represents a style that is “in your face’, anti-
authoritarian, irreverent, irrepressible, wise, ironic, [and also acts as] a voice
for the powerless and the have-nots”
Street art proves to be a medium of communication that is popular among the youth and a medium for the masses. Its ease of access, and the fact that it’s inexpensive compared to other mediums is a reason why the designer intends to use this medium of visual communication.
2.6 AFRICAN ART VS WESTERN ART Pablo Picasso was renowned as an innovative, artistic genius. His infinite creativity produced hundreds of works of art, many of which shocked and provoked, but subsequently transformed Modern art. Picasso was introduced to traditional African
Art. African Art so profoundly affected Picasso that it provided the creative impetus he needed to create works that shed all conventions and enabled him to surpass his artistic rivals. European scholars and artists were reluctant to accept Africa art as
“fine art” instead they referred to them as “primitive” (O’Riley 31). It was a general belief among these scholars that African Art was that of a primitive people, a sub evolutionary group: the art of Africa and other non -European nations had “prime” elements, elements from which Western art had evolved. The term primitivism as it was applied to African art (and non-classical art), was originally a positive one although it had negative connotations outside the art world. “It comes from the word primitif, a nineteenth- century French art-history word used in reference to certain late medieval and early Renaissance Italian and Flemish painters.
Eventually the term was applied to African traditional art” (O’Riley 31). It was used to describe the expression of the uninhibited naiveté and freedom. Although they were reluctant to accept a different way of interpreting and rendering the natural world, the artists were later seduced by “primitive” art and they embraced this style of expression as means of release from the restraints of their own formal art theories
(Grimaldi 375).African art was created with a purpose, a hidden meaning .The intricate markings on masks, the abstracted figures were all intentional. Picasso offers the best example as his work was transformed with a closely inspired feel from the African art. Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon was impacted by the two styles of African sculpture which were coppered covered reliquary figures from the
Bakota (a.k.a. Kota) people of African state of Gabon. The women in Picasso’s, work have long ridge-like noses enhanced by elongated protruding chins with small almost non-existent mouths. They have striation along the nose and side of the face that created a flat plane except for the forehead. Their features are reduced to geometric shapes a feature characteristic of African art.
(Plato and Aristotle), argued in his work, Mimetic theory of art, that art is essentially an imitation of nature. During this period western art, Paintings were supposed to look “just like the real thing .They were heavily trompe l’oeil or realistic art compared to the African art that was considered as primitive strange , it did not obey their rules of mimesis. The figures were abstracted with geometric shapes. The Bakota reliquary statue. The arms of the image have been brought behind the head to surround the face that is similar to its African counterpart. The right leg is actively being pushed against the left leg. The hatched surface of the metal (a technique popular among many traditional African artists called
“scarification” and it was utilized frequently by Picasso) is reflected on the surface shading of the face and body of the painting (Goldwater 150).
Today African art is so advanced to the point that artists combine the African style of creating art but they also use the principles of mimesis. Dr. Odiboh Freeborn says in his
“The Barber School artists have adopted Yoruba cultural prototypes and they justify their use of these symbols because of their knowledge of the cultural contents.
Interestingly, the interpretations of the cultural and magical iconography used in the works of the school vary with the individual artist. Busari Agbolade maintains that painting is a foreign artistic medium and for foreigners (that is, westerners) to actually appreciate "what we are doing, we have to do those things that are African and traditional to us'.”
2.7.0 POWER OF ILLUSTRATION
In an article The Most Significant art published on – as of October 28, 2015 -
(Illustration art blogspot 2011)-David Apattof argues that, contemporary gallery art-
- from cubism to surrealism to abstract expressionism-- has had an important impact on the intellectual direction of society. Yet, illustration has also played a major role in establishing the style, visual paradigms and iconic images of our society. A quick trip through the annals of illustration demonstrates the impact illustrators have had in shaping the aesthetics of society. Figure 2.4
JamesMontgomeryFlagg Here is a tiny sample of how during the world war, the American army used illustrations to inspire their citizens to join in the fight to defend America.
Illustration has also played a major role in establishing the style, visual paradigms and iconic images of our society. A quick trip through the annals of illustration demonstrates the impact illustrators have had in shaping the aesthetics of society. Alongside is a tiny sample
Figure 2.5 The Gibson Girl set a popular standard for beauty
Looking at how art and illustration has impacted our lives in terms of emotions love, romance for example romantic illustrations in women's magazines played a huge role in shaping women's concepts of what love was and how it worked. Figure2.6 John Gannam detail: should we have sex before marriage?
David observes that meanwhile men developed their own concept of romance from pinups illustrations of George Petty and Gil
Elvgren. The Most Significant art published on – as of October 28, 2015
- (Illustration art blogspot 2011) Romantic illustrations that shaped
Expectations and fleshed out our vocabulary weren't limited to fiction magazines. The language of love was spoken in John
Gannam's ads for bedsheets like in this picture on the right.
Figure 2.7
Recently the kinds of statements famous fine artists’ have made regarding the subject of love:
2.7.1 VISUAL ARGUMENTATION Jens .E. Kjeldsen argues that Visual arguments use images to engage viewers and persuade them to accept a particular idea or point of view .From her point of view pictures have the potential to argue because they can offer a rhetorical enthymematic process in which something is condensed or omitted, and, as a consequence, it is up to the spectator to provide the unspoken premises. Such rational condensation in pictures, then, is the visual counterpart of verbal argumentation.
This is relevant to visual argumentation, because pictures are especially good at providing an argument with a vivid presence that makes the importance and strength of the argument salient. In The New Rhetoric Perelman and
OlbrechtsTyteca describe presence as something that ‘‘acts directly on our sensibility’’, it makes present what is actually absent, but something that the speaker ‘‘considers important to his argument or, by making them more present, to enhance the value of some of the elements of which one has actually been conscious’’ (1969, p. 116f.).The researcher intends to use the principles of visual argumentation/rhetoric to create illustration that serve to educate the youth on
African Mysticism.
2.8.0 ILLUSTRATION DESIGN PROCESS The Business Dictionary, (2012), describes the Design process as an activity that involves the determining the workflow, equipment needs and the implementation requirements for a particular process.
2.8.1 The Design Process Every illustrator uses their own particular design process, but it is usually based on a cycle of talking with the client, thinking, artwork and then repeat until finished. While I love to talk to clients, I like to keep the number of cycles on the low side to avoid client frustration and keep my margins tight. I find that doing a large amount of communication up front saves cycles later on. This is the design process I like to use.
The Design Brief (Airey, 2006) argues that the briefing stage consists of the following: An Initial informal discussions between the designer and the client, covering project objectives, timing and budget. A formal meeting is set up to discuss the project in detail and clarify any technical issues including budget, timetable and corporate identity guidelines. A short statement is written outlining the problems that needs to be solved. Stephanie, (2012)posits that the relevant information is gathered that is relevant to the project this could include a corporate profile that has information about the organization, background material, studying existing brands and market position - this helps evaluates the company’s service, products in relation the competition, communication task – what message are they trying to convey and through what means this may include taglines, product poster or brochures, photography’s, target market demographics - the age, gender, income, employment, geography, lifestyle of those they client want to reach, Objectives - What quantifiable result does the client want to achieve?, Deadline - A realistic schedule of how long the project should proceed.
1. Research & Brainstorming Research is the process of searching out new facts. According to (Techitoutuk, 2005). Research areas are highlighted in the Analysis of Brief. Research is carried out in stages; research on existing products, ideas from other Products - products that are used for completely different purposes still have design ideas that could be used for example materials used, objects colour, size and shape, target market, new market trends, function - finds out how the product works, aesthetics- finds out what the product has to look like, its feel, taste and sound.
2. Sketching
The designer will make thumbnail sketches until I they are fully exhaustive and a good design is found. Then the designer will develop them into full sized sketches. They will be loosely drawn, but just to give an idea to the client of the direction I am considering.
3. Prototyping & Conceptualizing According to (Australian Graphic Design Association, 1996) Conceptualizing in illustration design process is a method of putting ideas and information which have been gathered and researched into graphical or illustrated forms. The designer intends to develop the draft concepts and preliminary designs and selects the most appropriate options for further development. (Stephanie, 2012) posits that the development of concepts can be done through various means:
• Mind Mapping: A diagram that’s used to represent words, ideas, and tasks linked to your central idea. Encourages a brainstorming approach to planning and organizing tasks. • Storyboarding: Meant to pre-visualize a motion picture, animation for example organizing illustration in a sequence. • Free Writing: A great way to get your ideas down on paper and later expand on them. • Layout Creation: Sketch layouts from collected inspiration, play around with colour schemes and typography until a direction strikes you, and then explore it more
4. Presentation and Refinement Different concepts are developed using one of the above methods. Ideas are shortlisted, and checked against the Creative Brief before they are worked up to a final solution. This is then presented to the client. Through the assistance of the client, these ideas are then narrowed down to a couple of ideas for further development and refinement (Stephanie, 2012).
2.9.0 EXEMPLARS
2.9.1 Abayomi Barber Born 1934, Abayomi is one of Nigeria's foremost modern artists and the mentor of the Abayomi Barber Art School. Barber moved to the UK on a government scholarship to pursue art studies. His art studies however followed a non-traditional route involving seminars, regular museum visits and apprenticeships at sculpture studios. This eclectic mix probably enabled him evolve his own style heavily influenced by the surrealist movement.
In 1971 Barber returned to Nigeria to take up a teaching position at the University of Lagos. While there he helped set up the Centre for Creative studies and was a huge influence in the development of a crop of Nigerian artist who were taught and heavily influenced by his ideas. Barber resides in Ijoko and he still paints when he can. He is still intrigued by nature and the mystery of sight.
At 77, Abayomi Barber is one of the oldest artists in Nigeria, and one of the most influential. A painter, sculptor and teacher, Barber has created some of the most fascinating landscapes in
Nigerian art. His dual images serve both as mesmerizing sceneries and as stories of Nigeria’s past and present. His sculptures grace diverse places. Figure 2.8
2.9.2 LeSean Thomas A South Bronx native, LeSean Thomas is an American television animation producer, director, animator, comic book artist, writer, character designer in Los
Angeles. LeSean is an entirely self-taught artist. His hunger to learn animation led him to relocate to Seoul, South
Korea at the request of Korean animation studio JM Animation to be hired in-house as part of the animation production staff. He was later hired as in-house
Storyboard/Animation
production artist at Studio
Mir for work on the
Legend of Korra for Figure
2.9 Legend of Korra
Nickelodeon animation studios. Korra was an animated cartoon series of an avatar
(Korra) who could manipulate the forces of nature namely air, water, earth, and fire.
LeSean’s style is heavily inspired by anime like most nowadays artists but retains a clever blend with his own culture as a Black American. His pencil lines are loose and thick in depth much like his characters and their anatomy.
Recently, he had just won the funding off kick-starters to produce a pilot for his long time comic series Cannon busters. From the nit-clips it looks awesome, I can’t wait to see it in full. LeSean’s style has really inspired my journey to improve the complexity and simplicity of my own style. To capture a readable pose with depth and somewhat emotion and leaving an impact at the same time.
CONCLUSION The review focuses on African Mysticism , The youth , and illustration .attitude
.The exemplars the researcher has singled out offer a wide range of inspiration the designer can draw from in order to create illustration that meet the set objectives.
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 INTRODUCTION The researcher explored in detail and came up with a research design with a specific target population that was systematically sampled. Research instruments were laid down for data collection, data collected was analyzed and presented, conclusions and recommendations for the findings were then made. The researcher adhered to the time schedule in the proposal
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN The researcher adopted a descriptive research design which explored both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the survey. This involved the description of the status quo of the agenda as the researcher had no control over the interviewee’s preference and opinions. This design helped to ascertain and able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation.
3.2 TARGET POPULATION A target population is the entire group of objects or people to which researchers wish to generalize the results. It is also a group from which the researchers would like to say their sample was taken from. (Osanjo 2015)
The study was carried out in University of Nairobi, Nairobi Kenya. The target population were the current undergraduate students learning at the institution.
3.3.0 SAMPLING PROCEDURES
3.3.1 SNOWBALLING Frey, et al. call snowball sampling “network” sampling (133). The definitions are
the same. Snowball sampling is used “in those rare cases when the population of
interest cannot be identified other than by someone who knows that a certain person
has the necessary experience or characteristics to be included” (MacNealy 157).
Snowball sampling also includes relying on previously identified group members
to identify others who may share the same characteristics as the group already in
place (Henry 21).
3.3.2 CONVENIENT SAMPLING Convenience sampling includes participants who are readily available and agree to
participate in a study (Fink 18; Frey, et al. 131; Henry 18; MacNealy 156).
MacNealy indicates that convenience sampling is often called accidental (156),
while Frey, et al. agree with the alternate title of accidental but also include
haphazard as an alternate title (131). Babbie does not use the specific title of
convenience, but calls this same type of non-probability sample “reliance on
available subjects” (99). This is a relatively easy choice for researchers when a
group of people cannot be found to survey or question, for this reason the researcher
to used Convenience sampling method because it was relatively an easier choice
and the researcher‘s participants who were the Undergraduate students currently
learning at the University of Nairobi, were readily available for the study and can
consent to being questioned. 3.4.0 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS
3.4.1.0 SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES The researcher formulated questionnaires with two sections. The first set of questions (open ended) sought to establish the respondent’s knowledge of African mysticism and illustration. The next set of question (closed ended) sought to establish their thoughts the African phenomena and illustration. Questionnaires were accompanied with pictures and a Likert scale to assist the interviewee to better understand the question.
The questionnaires were then be distributed among the sampled students for them to be filled. Questions (both open and closed) were adopted for data collection. The open ended questions assisted in getting the general opinion of the interviewee by giving no option to choose from, this was very instrumental in the qualitative analysis of the data. Closed type of questions were limited to choices given to the interviewee to choose from, this will give the quantitative aspect of the study.
3.4.1.1 DATA ANALYSIS The analysis was be based on the questionnaire returned; the information gathered was edited in order to obtain relevant information. The researcher employed the following criteria in verifying the questionnaires:
All questionnaires were checked for completeness, and those not fully
completed were rejected.
Rejected questionnaires were returned to the field and otherwise discarded. Number coding was done for identification and separation of some key
aspects in question then analyzed.
Tallying was employed to determine the headcount of respondents who
subscribed to a given code.
3.4.2.0 FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWING To supplement the questionnaires, the researcher w engaged respondents using focus groups by inviting six to eight people to gather for a few hours where he talked about the topic of African Mysticism first then move on to asking which mediums of illustration they find appealing and are popular among the youth.
During the focus group discussions the researcher distributed pictures that will assist him in asking the respondents questions about African Mysticism.
Comments by respondents will be recorded using a voice recorder and later notes will be taken after playing back the recordings.
3.4.2.1 ANALYSIS OF DATA Data was classified on the basis of common characteristics which can either be descriptive such as literacy, sex, and religion or numerical such as weight, height and income.
3.5.0 DATA PRESENTATION 3.5.1 INRODUCTION In this section, the researcher presented the data collected, interpreted it in relevance to the study objective and analyze the data to give a clear understanding of the major areas of concern. This was done qualitatively and quantitatively.
Methods of data presentation the researcher used tables, Pie charts, Photographs.
Graphs will also be used as diagrammatic presentations for the purposes of illustration.
3.6 CONCLUSION The methodology adopted both qualitative as well as quantitative. This enabled the researcher to come up with a tangible summary of findings. Data collection method included semi-structured questionnaires and conducting focus groups. Comments noted down were analyzed and presented as narratives and pie charts for illustration. The target population was drawn from the University of Nairobi.
CHAPTER 4:
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS
4.0 INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the researcher presented the data collected, interpreted it in relevance to the study objective and analyzed the data to give a clear understanding of the major areas of concern. This was done qualitatively and quantitatively.
4.1.0 FINDINGS This chapter will focus on the findings and analysis of data uncovered during the collection of data in a bid to find out how illustration can be used for the appreciation of African Mysticism among youths in Nairobi. The type of research the researcher employed in this context also mattered in that it allowed the sufficient understanding of whether African inspired educational visual materials would be effective in the ever changing nature of technology and environment around which young people borrow their knowledge from. The findings were taken from a small area as the bigger scope of the project would have been time consuming and too wide for the nature of this research.
Based on research done by other researchers, the researcher found out the importance of art to the youth. As stated in the methodology and procedures of data collection, various methods would be used to collect the necessary information for analysis in the research experiment. The first and foremost method of data collection was the semi structured questionnaires. The research being majorly qualitative as well as quantitative, employed questionnaires and interviews which were carried out to various participant
4.1.1 ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS The main limitation in this research was time visual literacy of the respondents.
This could be subject to future researchers to implore upon. Time could not have allowed other concurrent experiments on the same subjects to be carried out on a wider scope of institutions in order to establish the extent and effect towards a wide spectrum of youths from different regions within the area of study.
The experiments were conducted in University of Nairobi which is an institution that has diverse types of learners around Nairobi area. The 6-8 students were purposively sampled across the various disciplines.
4.2 OVERVIEW The focus for this chapter will be to elaborate on the findings that the researcher uncovered during the span of the research.
4.3.0 PROFILE OF SAMPLE POPULATION The sample population presented in the previous chapter was profiled through the use of questionnaires to investigate various elements used in illustrations and their cultural relevance, popular illustration mediums among the youth, and to gauge the support level of the respondents for the of newer production of local content .This information was collected so as to help establish a main ‘target market’ and tailor the recommendations to best suite them and maximize their effectiveness(Illustrations). The researcher successfully interviewed a total of 50 students who were attending the NAICON expo which was held at Sarit Center in Westlands, Nairobi; the following specializations were the most popular -Bachelor of arts students-10, Economics students -20, Languages students -15.Out of the 50 respondents 30 of them were females and 20 of them were males (1:3).There were more females were in attendance.
Gender distribution within the population
Male 40% Female 60%
Female Male Table 3.0
The sample population was stratified and consisted of the following strata as distributed:
Students undertaking Bachelors in Languages
Students undertaking Bachelors in Bachelor of arts students
Students undertaking Bachelors in Economics
Area of Number of Number of specialization students students in
percentages
(%) Economics 20 40
Languages 15 30
Other 10 20 specializations
Bachelor of 5 10 arts students
Table 3.1
Majority of the respondents were students who turned out to be specializing in these areas Civil engineering, Economics, Languages
Frequency of Individuals in the sample population
Languages 30%
Bachelor of arts students 10% Other specialisations 20%
Economics 40%
Civil engineering Economics Other specialisations
Table 3.2 Frequency of Individuals in the sample population
OPINION REGARDING PREFERRED ILLUSTRATION MEDIUM
Illustration medium Number of people Level of preference in (%) Street art 10 20% Animation 15 30% Tattoos 5 10% Comics 20 40%
Table3.4
Illustration Mediums popularity among youths in Nairobi
60
50
40
30 30
PERCENTAGE 20 40 20 10 10
0 Street art Animation cartoons Tattoos Comics
Table 3.5 Illustration mediums popularity among youth in Nairobi
The following shows the analysis of data pertaining to the popularity of western illustration sources.
The data collected from the above tabulated forms brings forth various revelations with regard to the research area:
Most youths in Nairobi have a higher preference for animation medium specifically cartoons. They also acknowledged that they enjoyed Western styled content rather than locally produced content. These learners perceive locally productions as Comics came in second place in terms of popularity.
4.3.1 Local Content against Western Content A large portion (50%) of the animation content available to the youth comes from the western countries. This shows how local productions at (10%) fall behind in terms of production when compared to the content that the western countries are able to put out into the market. Tattoos with a Western influence come in second in terms of popularity compared to the amount of tattoos created locally.
Local Content against Western Content 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 Animation Comics Street art Tattoos
Western Content Local Content
Table 3.6 Local content against Western content
4.3.2 OPINIONS REGARDING WHAT INFLUENCED THE CHOICE OF ILLUSTRATION MEDIUM As the researcher interacted with the students from various disciplines, they discussed that what influenced the youths’ choice of medium were factors such as the quality of the narrative or the storyline, colours used quality of the artwork as a major contributors to the decision of what medium they chose to view. The quality of the art work or illustration was another aspect that most youth considered in making their choice of what medium of illustration they liked. From the questionnaires, it was clear that the relevance of the storyline was top on the minds of the respondents when they choose what to look at.40% of the respondents picked the relevance of the storyline as major the attractive quality of the western media productions.20 % of the respondents picked color as the factor that contributed to their choice of illustration medium. Another 30% chose the quality of the general artwork as a factor they took into consideration when making a decision of what illustration medium was favorable to them. Line quality was at 10% in terms of what the respondents took into consideration when choosing the most favorable medium of illustration.
4.4.0 FINDINGS FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS The researcher conducted the focus groups from the NAICON Expo held at Sarit center in Westlands, Nairobi. The targeted audience of the expo was a young demographic the researcher chose out of convenience. From the researchers interaction with the respondents’ a number of factors stood out which were recorded by the researcher.
Do you know “Uchawi”? This question sought to establish the respondents’ knowledge of Mysticism. The researcher then further inquired how they got to not know Uchawi. The respondents gave following feedback;
One of the respondents said that she encountered mysticism or Uchawi from a discussion between adults when they were children. She said that the adults would tell them to make small cuts on their bodies for bad blood to ooze out and as a result the powers of Uchawi would not have any influence on them.
Another respondent said he encountered Uchawi from stories her peers recounted while he was in school. He talked about how people would seek out the services of Uchawi practitioners to assist them in areas of life like finances, love, and they would be helped by use of charms, and incantations to sing out and their problems would be taken care of by the spirits.
What do you like about the Western illustrations? Images were accompanied with this question.
One of the respondents said that the story relevance was the major reason that illustrations from the western world very popular among the youth. He said that the story was much more appealing to the audience when it related to the current times even when underlying themes borrowed from the ancient world or cultural history. Another respondent said that the general style and quality of the artwork influenced her choice or preference for western illustration medium.
By conducting the focus groups this created a basis for the researcher to generate his questionnaire.
The researcher enquired from the sample population on the use of the Kenyan mythology and culturally relevant visual content in the development of. There was a general agreement that a distinct Kenyan style of design and creative development was necessary in maintaining a rich cultural heritage as well as enhance the interest in the audiences.
The greatest number of interviewees agreed that the influx of the Western media productions in the local markets also affected the use of genuine Kenyan cultural aspects in the development of animation, print media as well as artistic creativity. The researcher found out that many artists and designers rarely search locally for sources of inspiration from indigenous and culturally relevant visual elements. This affects the quality of the local digital productions greatly giving an upper hand to well researched and intricately produced Western digital content.
The researcher then questioned the respondents on their favorable medium of illustration. A copy of different illustration mediums was issued while this question was asked. Most of the respondents, out of the total number of focus group conducted picked the animation, street art as their most preferable mediums of illustration.
CHAPTER5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.0 CONCLUSION “Enough research will tend to support your conclusions. “
-Arthur Bloch-
The difficulty, experience and knowledge gathered in the course of the study provides a firm foundation upon which recommendations may be built. This chapter briefly outlines recommendations in the relevant areas based on the findings observed in this research. The researcher has made the following recommendations based on his findings.
Due to modernization that is fast catching up with a young African nation as Kenya, more and more the youth are seeking information that may not be necessarily be confined to the borders within. The young and the youth spend more time in front of screens, our main culprit being the television and internet. The information that they get from there keeps them glued and needing more and more to be there looking at it. Naturally they become accustomed to the new cultures, they interact with them more than our local Kenyan traditions and culture. Naturally, it becomes addictive; they read less and are reluctant to learn their culture or heritage back home. This is because the newly learned culture on the internet and TV, which is a blend of the past and today, is considered more attractive than the traditional beliefs and practices presented back home in the rawest form.
5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the preceding research, the following are the recommendations classified into the relevant areas;
The researcher has found that Kenya and Africa in the general has much to offer, because of its rich heritage. The African continent has vast untapped potential; mythical stories, cultural beliefs, art among others. The researcher recommends that for the illustrations to be relevant to the targeted audience, designers should draw from their inspiration from Africa, specifically Kenya for this case
In the Western world illustration mediums depicting mysticism for example the superheroes comics, have characters drawn from both extremes; of good and bad/black magic .In so doing they show the usefulness / acceptability of good magic, for example through the healers and rainmakers .They also show how unsociable black magic is, for example; it is used to incapacitate, to kill, cause chaos and disasters. Therefore the researcher recommends that in order for illustrations with underlying themes of mysticism to appeal to the youth ,the designers should adopt this clever way of packaging African mysticism, they should this clever way of packaging the plot.
There exists a wide array of illustration through which ideas of mysticism can be illustrated, but the researcher found that the use of tattoos, street art animation cartoons and comics have been the most successful. This is because they are the most popular mediums that today’s youths are familiar with and interact with on a day –to-day basis .Therefore the researcher recommends that in order for the designer to appeal to this audience he /she should efficiently use the mediums mentioned.
The researcher found out that a large number of youths have a preference for animated productions from the West. Some of the most notable include The Justice league, Avatar the Last Air Bender and the popular American TV production The Boondocks among others compared the local productions such as such as ‘Shujaaz’ and Tinga Tinga Tales. Tinga Tinga Tales, which is local Kenyan production that targets children, have lost some of its young audience to the western animation productions .Therefore the researcher recommends that a lot of care should be given to the relevance of the production. Designers should be up to date with changing trends.
6.0 REFERENCES
Babbie, Earl. Survey Research Methods. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2nd ed., 1990.
Berinstein, Paula. Business Statistics on the Web: Find Them Fast – At Little or No Cost.
New Jersey: Cyber Age Books, 2003.
Frey, Lawrence R., Carl H. Botan, and Gary L. Kreps. Investigating Communication: An
Introduction to Research Methods. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Geertz, C. (1973). Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. In
The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays (pp. 3–30). New York: Basic Books.
Goldwater, Robert. Primitivism in Modern Art. Cambridge Massachusetts and
London.
Grimaldi, Forum. Arts of Africa. Monaco, Skira Publishing, 2005
Henry, Gary T. Practical Sampling. Vol. 21. London: Sage Publications, 1990.
Inspiration: LeSean Thomas - Posted on February 20, 2015 by Duane Uba
http://duba.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2015/02/20/inspiration-lesean-thomas/
Kjeldsen, J. E. (2007). Visual argumentation in Scandinavian political advertising: A
cognitive, contextual, and reception-oriented approach. Argumentation and
Advocacy, 43, 124–132.
Kjeldsen, J. E. (2012a). Pictorial argumentation in advertising: Visual tropes and figures
as a way of creating visual argumentation. In F. H. van Eemeren & B. Garssen
(Eds.) Topical themes in argumentation theory. Twenty exploratory studies (pp.
239–255). Dordrecht: Springer. MacNealy, Mary Sue. Strategies for Empirical Research in Writing. New York: Longman,
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Mafundikwa, S. (2007). Afrikan Alphabets. New York: Mark Batty.
Mbiti, J (1969). African Religions and Philosophy New York .Praeger.
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Ndeti K. (1972). The element of Akamba life.NairobiEast Africa Printing House
Nyabwari Bernard Gechiko, Chuka University, Faculty of Arts and Humanities -
The Impact of Magic and Witchcraft in the Social, Economic, Political and Spiritual
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O’Riley, Michael Kampen. Art Beyond the West. New York, Harry and Abrams,
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Off the street: art for all? -http://www.abc.net.au/arts/blog/where-is-australias-
street-art-capital-120907/default.htm
Osanjo L. (2015) BDS 330 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY unpublished.
7.0 Appendices
Questionnaire guide Date of interview
Interviewer
The following questions are about yourself and your experience, please tick or complete the information requested.
1. What do you know about African Magic/ Witchcraft?
2. Have you ever experienced or encountered African before?
3. Have you ever been interested in finding out what African Mysticism is and what it is not? If so, Why?
4. Do you support the production of short animations using Kenyan characters
inspired by themes of mysticism?
Section 2
1. What do you think about the quality of African illustrations compared to Illustrations from outside the country? Please indicate how much you like or dislike with each of the following picture design elements:
1=Poor 5=Excellent N/A 1 2 3 4 5 (does not apply)
1. Line
2. Colour 3. General artwork quality 4. Storyline Relevance
Using the attached pictures, answer the following set of questions.
5. Pick what you like about the pictures attached to the questionnaire? [ ]. The lines [ ]. The colors used. [ ]. I just like pictures
6. Identify which of the following illustration do you find appealing?
.
[ ] [ ]
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