Juha Kalulu

Lollita Koech tells us about Edward Gicheri Gitau’s popular #KeRead Juha Kalulu.

For over 60 years Edward Gicheri Gitau created Juha Kalulu, a Swahili comic strip which was published in popular Kenyan newspapers. Between 1978 and 1991 he published three comic books by the same name. The three main characters in the narrative are Juha Kalulu, a cunning and crafty man, his wife Serah and their family dog Taska who also doubled as Juha Kalulu’s ‘wingman’.

Gitau, a gifted writer and cartoonist used camera-movements, changes of perspective, a conscious use of panel size and colour contrast to developing a compelling straightforward story. He relied on an interplay of visual and verbal to convey his narrative, it was common to see Juha Kalulu teaching Taska how to dance and in another strip stealing meat from the pan while his wife was not seeing. The hilarious images were often combined with funny conversations Kalulu has with his wife or with Taska.

Through Juha Kalulu, Gitau told a compelling Kenyan story that would resonate with every Kenyan.

Our reviewer, Lollita Koech is an emerging Kenyan writer and cultural Anthropologist with an interest in the intersection of communication technology and indigenous African cultures.
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