Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Bukavu: three great cities of the Congo, three ways of telling stories. Congolese comics are among the richest in Africa, and they are living a new youth. Here is a journey through Congolese comics, from the capital to Katanga and South Kivu.
Kinshasa, capital of Congolese comics
Kinshasa is the historic heart of the Congolese comic book. It is where pioneers like Mongo Sisé grew up, and where artists like Barly Baruti learned their craft before publishing across the French-speaking world. It is also in Kinshasa, at l’Échangeur de Limete, that the ISOLELE Universe has its home and where the Zaiire saga was born.
Lubumbashi, the city of images of Katanga
Lubumbashi, the great city of Katanga, is one of the liveliest art scenes in the country, known for its art biennial, the Rencontres Picha. Readers in Lubumbashi are looking for more comics, and ISOLELE’s heroes speak to them: Mwindo Lumumba, Kimpa Vita and the kings of Kongo belong to the whole Congo, from the river to the mines of the south.
Bukavu, the South Kivu studio
In Bukavu, on the shores of Lake Kivu, part of ISOLELE’s 49 illustrators work. Every page is drawn by hand, without AI. And the Kivus gave birth to some of the strongest characters of the universe: Zaïko, the Leopard Phantom King of the Streets, and his brothers Zirofa, Kikwit SilQ and Baku, children of the Kivu.
Katiomics, a genre born in the Congo
ISOLELE calls its genre Katiomics: African comics that blend the energy of superhero comics, the clean lines of Franco-Belgian comics and the history, cosmology and royalty of Central Africa. Katiomics is to Africa what manga is to Japan.
Bana ya ISOLELE: comics for the children of the Congo
With Bana ya ISOLELE, Children of ISOLELE in Lingala, children in Kinshasa and Goma receive books, meet heroes who look like them and learn to tell their own stories.
Where to read Congolese comics
ISOLELE’s books, including Zaiire: The Prince of Kongo and Shango and Zaiire, are available in English and French. On this site you can discover more than 50 characters and their stories for free. See the books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best-known Congolese comic book today?
The Zaiire: The Prince of Kongo saga of the ISOLELE Universe, created in Kinshasa and drawn by artists in Kinshasa and Bukavu, is one of the most talked-about Congolese comic books today.
Who are the great names of Congolese comics?
Pioneers such as Mongo Sisé and Barly Baruti, and today a new generation, including ISOLELE’s 49 illustrators in Kinshasa and Bukavu.
Discover the books
