Political cartoons depicting realities of multilateral economic relations between leaders from China and countries from the Horn of Africa

Political cartoons, though hugely humorous and entertaining, are in many ways an effective tool that cartoonists utilize in highlighting social realities, either to expose anomalies or to encourage prevailing realities. Studies have variously affirmed that the efficacy of a cartoon as a meaningful communication medium for the purposive sharing of perspectives and inclinations is largely dependent on the quality of creative vision each cartoon embodies. Thus, this study interpretively examines the following: the creative vision dynamics in the selected cartoons by Gado and Zapiro, focusing primarily on the aesthetics and the artists’ inclination intersections in their portrayals of behaviours and pertinent realities of multilateral economic relations between political leaders from China and countries in the Horn of Africa. The study also examines the cartoonists’ attempts to situate their narratives within specific contexts, utilizing distinctive symbolic images as variables that distinguish the cartoons as political cartoons. The study also looks at the nuances of subtlety and aggressiveness in the cartoons, the metaphorical polemics in the symbols in the cartoons, and the comparatives in Gado’s and Zapiro’s authorial point-of-view(s). Lastly, we observe that the selected cartoons reflect different perspectives, inclinations, worldviews, and creative visions regarding public opinions on the behaviours of political leaders concerning economic multilateral engagements between countries in the Horn of Africa and China.