
Currently in Africa approximately 42% of the population lives on less than $1.90 per day.  There are several factors that contribute to this staggering number.  Aside from poverty, there are many other problems that the continent has faced over past decades.  To address this situation, a popular cartoonist, Paresh Nath, portrays a number of these social issues pertaining to Africa in his visual text, “Governing the Continent unitedly: A Reality”.  The image uses a minimalist design by utilizing symmetry, symbolism, and contrast to spread awareness about the current issues in Africa, including the poverty, disease, and famine.

In his visual display, Nath uses symmetry and shape to create a consistency throughout his illustration in order to exemplify the importance of each issue.  The focal point of his piece is the word “Africa”, which is written surrounded by the shape of Africa itself.  By using large, bold lettering, Nath portrays the severity of the issues to the viewer by utilizing size.  Likewise, he makes the continent of Africa bigger than the any other component of his piece to signify the central idea and to attract attention.  Aside from the focal point, there are several other important parts to this illustration.  Nath incorporates nine different figures into his image to depict each of the most significant issues that Africa faces.  These include “famine”, “drought”, “civil abuses”, “hunger”, “poverty”, “disease”, “dictatorship”, “civil war”, and “warlord”.  Each term is placed on the body of figures surrounding Africa, creating a pattern throughout.  Nath uses such strong words to attract the viewer and compel them to empathize with those who face these issues.  Although some issues may be more severe than others, Nath makes it clear that each issue is equally important by utilizing symmetry throughout.  

In addition to the element of symmetry, Nath uses symbolism is his work to further add meaning and to emphasize the difficult conditions in Africa.  Nath chooses to draw each figure, similar to that of the grim reaper, who symbolizes death and negativity.  Immediately, Nath creates a very cynical tone: giving the viewer the idea that each term written on their bodies will most likely have a negative connotation.  Another symbol that Nath incorporates is the table in the center, which represents the continent of Africa. By employing these different symbols throughout his piece, Nath forces the viewer to think deeper, to see past what is shown on social media and the news: he aims to evoke sorrowful feelings within the viewers and gain the rightful attention that these social issues deserve. 

 Along with symbolism, Nath’s use of contrast is another important element that helps him call attention to the circumstances in Africa.  First, Nath chooses to draw his cartoon, solely using black and white.  Generally, the use of color is to create vibrancy and make certain objects stand out.  In this case, the lack of color constructs the serious, sorrow tone.  By making the center of his work white, as opposed to black or grey, the audience can identify the focal point much quicker.  The name “Africa” is placed in large, black lettering to differentiate it from the blank, white background.  In order to spread awareness about these issues in Africa, it is important to make the main idea stand out from the rest so the audience is informed of the cause.  Nath then draws each of the figures black, a color that normally symbolizes negativity, which is fitting since each term represents another devastating social issue.  Using the color black for this component provides the reader with a visual description of the issues to enforce that these people are in desperate need of help. 

Ultimately, Paresh Nath creates the political cartoon, “Governing the Continent unitedly: A Reality” to attract attention and spread awareness regarding the current conditions of Africa by utilizing symbolism, symmetry, and contrast.  By using symbols, Nath creates a deeper meaning for the viewer to recognize and adds to the severity of the issue.  Additionally, symmetry and shape are used to equalize the drawing and show that each of these issues that Africa faces are all in need of attention.  Finally, the use of contrast is significant in this piece because it makes the main idea stand out to attract the audience. 
