Kenyan Political Cartoonist Satirizes President Obama

 

While U.S. President Barack Obama has already left Kenya, the nation is still buzzing with excitement over his visit. Patrick Gathara, a Kenyan political cartoonist, is one of the latest artists to get noticed for his work on the President, illustrating some of the prevailing sentiments about the commander-in-chief.

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With his exhibition currently on display in Nairobi, Gathara shares dozens of satirical illustrations for the public to consider in President Obama’s wake.

Gathara, who claims he never had formal training, says of his passion, “I love drawing faces, and I have a lifelong love of politics and current affairs, [because] it is a very interesting media and you can make fun of people; you can make fun of situations.”

For his current Obama-themed exhibition, what is his favorite piece?

An illustration that showcases President Obama with supersized ears. The offering is punctuated with the President’s “rhetoric” on not fighting Islam: “America is not — and will never be — at war with Islam…just with Muslims!”

Gathara’s work further explores the way President Obama’s image has evolved since he last visited his homeland.

He says, “At the beginning, when he came in at 2006, he was fully welcomed as a Kenyan.

“It’s fairly different now.

“As President of the United States, there’s nobody on the roads. People can’t get close to him.

“This is very different, and the question is whether Kenyans view him differently than they did before.”

Gathara captures his particular perception of the President with a drawing of a welcome mat outside of AirForce One that rolls over the homeless (pictured).

View more of Gathara’s satirical cartoons here:

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