Frank Odoi at the 27th Helsinki Comics Festival

The Kenya-resident, Ghanaian cartoonist and comics artist, Frank Odoi, was our visitor at the Helsinki Comics Festival, 17-19 September, 2011. His trip was co-sponsored by the Finnish Comics Society and World Comics Finland.  He gave a presentation at a Seminar on Comics in Development, and was interviewed on stage and signed his album Golgoti.

An exhibition called ”Frank Odoi – a Versatile Comics Artist” with his comics, cartoons and illustrations, took place at the Tapulinkaupunki library in Northern Helsinki.

Since 1991, when Frank first met with Leif Packalen in Nairobi, he has been an important colleague in World Comics Finland’s activities. He  worked as a trainer at comics workshops  in Tanzania, Mozambique and Ethiopia, and he co-authored the book ”Comics with an Attitude..” which was published by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in 1999. The book reached a total of eight printings! It is available as a pdf-file at  http://formin.finland.fi/Public/Print.aspx?contentid=89646&nodeid=34606&culture=en-US&contentlan=2

Frank shares reminiscences from Tanzania, where he and Tarmo Koivisto trained comics artists in the Nineties. Henry’s Pub, the official watering hole for the festival, was of course decorated with comics.

Frank took time to come to visit us in Vantaa. Here with Birgit Packalen in front of the two local sights: the plastic petrol station and the water tower. LP.

Frank visited the library in Tapulinkaupunki, Helsinki, where his exhibition was on display. The exhibition showed the great variety of comics and cartoons that Frank has done, from adventure and fantasy comics, political satire comics, children’s comics to editorial cartoons, caricatures, gag cartoons, illustrations, etc.

The poster for Frank's exhibition.

A group of kids from the neighbourhood had arrived to see Frank at the exhibition. Frank spent an hour drawing and joking with them. He got rock-star treatment from the kids. Drawing: LP.