Using world news to humour audiences in Mauritius: POV’s political cartoons through the lens of postcolonial translation theory

Article


Kodabux, A. 2024. Using world news to humour audiences in Mauritius: POV’s political cartoons through the lens of postcolonial translation theory. Critical African Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/21681392.2024.2367961
TypeArticle
TitleUsing world news to humour audiences in Mauritius: POV’s political cartoons through the lens of postcolonial translation theory
AlternativeUtilisation des informations mondiales pour amuser les publics à l’Ile Maurice: les caricatures politiques de POV à travers le prisme de la théorie de traduction postcoloniale
AuthorsKodabux, A.
Abstract

The humour of political cartoons is studied in multiple disciplines, and African political cartoons are no exception to academic scrutiny. Their satire, however, is prone to Western models of analysis. One subsequent gap is the dismissal of important postcolonial realities, such as African political cartoonists’ caricature of world news and not just domestic matters. To contribute theoretically to the study of humour in African political cartoons, I apply postcolonial translation theory to explore a selection of POV’s political cartoons, which address both domestic and world news. I argue that the political cartoonist is a translator, not of languages, but of ideas about foreign affairs, transposed through translation strategies to convey meanings for local audiences. African humour in political cartoons, therefore, is not restricted to domestic matters. African cartoonists’ engagement with foreign news invites the question about whether the humour is framed for Western audiences. I conclude that the occasional engagement with foreign ideas does not render an African political cartoon’s satire inauthentic or less African. Instead, it is possible to reconcile the translation strategies of foreignisation and domestication, ensuring the humour of these political cartoons – visually translated for African contexts – is inclusive for local audiences and welcoming of foreign ideas.

L’humour des caricatures politiques est étudié dans de multiples disciplines, et les caricatures politiques africaines ne font pas exception et font l’objet de recherches universitaires. Leur satire est cependant sujette aux modèles d’analyse occidentaux. En découle une lacune: le rejet d’importantes réalités postcoloniales, telles que la caricature des caricaturistes politiques africains concernant l’actualité mondiale et non pas seulement les questions intérieures. Pour contribuer théoriquement à l’étude de l’humour dans les caricatures politiques africaines, j’applique la théorie de la traduction postcoloniale pour explorer une sélection de caricatures politiques de POV, qui traitent à la fois de l’actualité nationale et mondiale. Je soutiens que le caricaturiste politique est un traducteur, non pas de langues, mais d'idées relatives aux affaires étrangères, transposées à travers des stratégies de traduction afin de transmettre des significations aux publics locaux. L’humour africain dans les caricatures politiques ne se limite donc pas aux affaires intérieures. L’engagement des caricaturistes africains dans l’actualité étrangère soulève la question de savoir si l’humour est destiné au public occidental. Je conclus que l’engagement occasionnel avec des idées étrangères ne rend pas la satire d’une caricature politique africaine inauthentique ou moins africaine. Il est au contraire possible de concilier les stratégies de traduction d’étrangéisation et de domestication, en garantissant que l’humour de ces caricatures politiques – traduites visuellement pour les contextes africains – soit inclusif pour le public local et accueillant les idées étrangères.

KeywordsAfrican humour; political cartoons; postcolonial translation theory; Mauritius; foreign affairs
PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
JournalCritical African Studies
ISSN2168-1392
Electronic2040-7211
Publication dates
Online03 Jul 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited23 Oct 2024
Output statusPublished
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/21681392.2024.2367961
Web of Science identifierWOS:001261621200001
LanguageEnglish
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