Grassroots Comics - A Development Communication Tool

This manual on the creation of comics as a medium for communication of development ideas is based on the experiences gained by World Comics Finland and World Comics India at the grassroots level in cooperation with other organisations, movements, and activists. As stated by the authors: "Grassroots comics, i.e. comics that are made by socially active people themselves, rather than by campaign and art professionals, are genuine voices which encourage local debate in the society."

The manual gives a number of examples of comics from different countries, photographs from workshops on grassroots comic creation, and manuals that demonstrate how to approach this communication medium with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or with community activists. It explains how to make wall poster comics, booklet comics, strips, and accordion folded mini comics for local distribution - at meeting places, bus stops, shops, offices, schools, on notice-boards and electricity poles, etc. Reproduction methods include: photocopying for issues up to 30-40 copies, screen printing for issues from 100 copies upwards, and offset printing for issues from 200-300 copies upwards.

Contents include:

• Chapter I: Grassroots comics power!; Why use grassroots comics?; and Grassroots comics formats.
• Chapter II: Works and workshops from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• Chapter III: Works and workshops from Tanzania, Benin, and Mozambique.
• Chapter IV: Comics as a medium among refugees - Palestinian refugees in Lebanon; and refugees in Manchester, United Kingdom.
• Appendices: 4 manuals; notes on additional formats and resources; a step-by-step training plan for a wallposter comics workshop; and a comics workshop programme, budget, material list, and a sample proposal.
• A frequently asked questions section.

This manual is available in a downloadable PDF format (see access below) and in a paper copy version. The paper copy version is available free of charge on request from keoinfo@formin.fi For more information on how grassroots comics are used, please see the collection of videos uploaded to YouTube by Leif Packalén - click here.