The recently concluded Lagos Comic Convention 2024, held on Saturday, 14 September, was packed with educational sessions alongside all-round entertainment. One such session took place at the Comic Zone, where the topics of inclusivity and diversity within the comic book industry were thoroughly discussed.

One of the panellists, Mr Ibrahim Ganiyu, widely known as Sir Gai and founder of ICStudios, shared his insights on the topic and its practical application within the African comic book industry. He emphasised that the concept of diversity and inclusivity has become highly politicised, urging creators to move beyond simply meeting quotas or using buzzwords for the sake of appearances.

“I think diversity for diversity's sake is politics. I'm going to say that out straight. I think it should come as part of the creative process, not an add-on. I don't even know what African is when it comes to the way our society is structured. So how do I represent people of diverse nature in Africa? I can't easily depict that”, Sir Gai remarked. 

“…On the matter of sexuality, I believe that putting sexuality in your comic book should not be a matter of importance. I have a character called Rikia, the amazing girl, and the point is, if it were a boy, it wouldn’t work. So, let's create characters first, and talk about their orientation, or whoever they are afterward”, he added.

The other panelist, Ejob Nathaniel, who is the CEO of Cameroonian-based Zebra Comics, approached the topic from a professional experience vantage. “It (diversity) has to be something that works for the story you're writing. That, in that context, it makes sense. Because we have a situation where we are getting female versions of things that nobody asked for. Whereas, there are other female characters that are strong. Give people what they want. Diversity should come naturally.”

He also mentioned turning down story ideas that do not feel natural as a result of trying to force diversity. “DC Comics came to us to do an African version of Joker. We had a challenge as we did not want it to be a black-washed Joker. So, we told DC Comics we were not creating an African version, that we were going to create a character inspired by the Joker. So, that way now, it (diversity and inclusion) works.”

Both panelists acknowledged that the inclusion of diverse characters often invites criticism, even when there’s no hidden agenda behind the stories. “You will never be as diverse enough as people want you to be. You'll never be as inclusive enough as people want you to be… Whether it was a specific woman, if it had to be a woman, somebody would be upset somewhere… Can we just go ahead and tell the story and move on with our lives?”, Sir Gai stated.

“…In my study of African comic books over the years, people tend to tell their stories based around the entire area. I've seen Kwezi from South Africa. Kwezi has a little bit more diversity because South Africa is a mix of black and white people, who can claim to be South Africans, and for real, that's that. It's not something that we in Nigeria here are busy reading all about. So, I think when it comes to diversity, you have to work with your brain”, he continued.

Also present at the session were the founder of Lagos Comic Con, Ayodele Elegba, and Morak Oguntade, a veteran in the African comic book scene. The discussion touched upon the natural challenges of achieving full diversity, including differences in language, culture, influence, region, and the availability of historical documentation.