Nigar Nazar (; born 1953) is a
Pakistani female
cartoonist.
[The Muslim World’s First Female Cartoonist]
/ref> Her best-known character, Gogi, is an urban Pakistani woman struggling with her frailties in the context of sexist social norms. The character was created to educate people about social and educational advocacy problems.[Educating with Cartoons - Nigar Nazar Promotes Freedom with a Smile]
/ref> She is the chief executive officer of Gogi Studios.
Biography
Nigar switched from a medical degree to a degree in fine arts in 1968. She graduated in fine arts from the University of the Punjab
The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...
, Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
. She also attended courses at the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...
, Canberra.
In 1970, her cartoon Gogi appeared for the first time in Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
's Institute of Arts and Crafts annual magazine.
In 2002–2003, she was a Fulbright scholar at the art department of the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
, and in 2009, she was a Fulbright Visiting Specialist at Colorado College
Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...
. She attended a UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
-sponsored training session on animated film at Hanna-Barbera Studios in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
.
Gogi Studios works on projects that actively address social issues. In 2009, Nazar completed five "awareness comics on burning social issues such as extremism, corruption, sectarian violence, girl’s education, and women’s rights". Three compilations of her cartoons have been published, as well as several calendars, brochures, diaries, and posters. She has produced three children’s books for various international NGOs on health and hygiene
Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
, the environment, disaster management, first aid
First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...
, and child safety
Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ...
.
Now living in Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, Nazar says, "My work ... started from newspaper and reached the community, as it appeared on public buses and hospitals. I published books and comics and the aim of my studio is to address mindset for a positive change."[
She is a founding member of the Asian Youth Association for Animators and Cartoonists, headquartered in Guiyang, China.][ She has been an official speaker and jury member of numerous art and cartoon competitions, both national and international, such as the APACA ( AYAAC), Aydin Dogan Vakfi (Turkey), Himal Cartoon Conference (]Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
), Cartoonists Congress (Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
/Singapore), and the Oxfam Congress for Women's Issues ( Sri Lanka). Nazar has conducted many workshops and outreach programs for underprivileged students in Pakistan.
Gogi
Nazar's main cartoon character, Gogi, has been a popular comicstrip in newspapers worldwide. Gogi depicts a modern Pakistani Muslim woman with short hair, long eyelashes and a polka dot
Red polka dots on a yellow background
Girl wearing polka dot dress
Polish ceramics
German ceramics
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size.
Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...
dress.[ Asked in an interview to describe Gogi, Nazar said, "In the words of a university student who has done a well-researched thesis on my work, 'Gogi is the symbol of womanhood in Pakistan, with all her adventures and escapades in daily life, facing day to day hypocrisies in a male dominated society".][ The ''Denver Post'' described Gogi as "a bit like ' Blondie' and a bit like ]Oprah
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...
—except devoutly Muslim".[
In 2004, in collaboration with ]non-governmental organisations
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
, 12 public-transport buses were wrapped with Gogi cartoons to convey social messages.
Honours
Nigar was featured in the Wateen Telecom Pakistan "Icon 2010 of Pakistan" calendar.[ The Cartoonists Rights Network named her first among innovative users of cartoons.][ She received the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Award from the government of Pakistan.][ She received the Booruker ]UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
prize in 1997 for her work at an orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...
in Kyrgyzstan.[ ]The BBC
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
nominated her as one of a hundred influential women who brought about a difference in the world. To acknowledge her efforts for promoting women empowerment in the society, she is honoured with fourth highest civil award of Pakistan in 2023.
In 2023, she was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...
by the President of Pakistan.
Projects
;Trauma counselling of earthquake victims through puppets
: Nigar devised Puppet Shows weaving elements of Trauma Counseling in the script for Earthquake victims (October 2005) Gogi comic strip characters entertained and conducted Trauma Counselling in an innovative and impactful way.
; Outreach Programs and lectures (January 2008 – December 2009)
: Nazar conducted outreach programs in Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, Rawalpindi and Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
on environmental subjects. She showed animated cartoons, demonstrated the art of drawing cartoons, interacted with children, and distributed free Gogi books and stationary in Gogi school bags to the attendees.
; Workshops (2008–2010)
: Nazar conducted numerous cartooning workshops for children, especially those from disadvantaged communities, with the international non-governmental organisations PLAN, HEC (Higher Education Commission), National Government/CARE and Shaj-re-Ilm. Workshops were also organised with private organisations, such as KFC, for children.
Cartooning workshop were conducted by Nigar Nazar for Karachi University, NUST and Gymkhana Lahore. Courses in drawing and cartooning were conducted in Fatimah Jinnah University.
Publications
* ''Glad to Meetcha Gogi'', Adam Publishers (Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
), 1975.
* ''Gogi on the Go'', Pak-American Publishers, 1982.[
* ''Koorey ka Jin'' (English: ''The Garbage Monster''),including a ]board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a co ...
, 2005.
* Prepared training modules for HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
, for Pakistan's health ministry, 1987.[
* Designed and authored a baby-record book published by Ferozsons Laboratories in 2006.
* Prepared and illustrated two books on disaster management in 2006 (a JICA project).
* Collection of comic strips ''Going Gogi'' published in 2009; later translated to Urdu.
* January 2010: produced five comic books on life skills: girls' education, corruption, anti-recruitment, ]women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
, and sectarian violence
Sectarian violence and/or sectarian strife is a form of communal violence which is inspired by sectarianism, that is, discrimination, hatred or prejudice between different sects of a particular mode of an ideology or different sects of a religion ...
.
*Babloo: The Little Boy who didn’t like Books! (2014)
References
External links
Official website of Gogi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazar, Nigar
Living people
Pakistani artists
Pakistani cartoonists
Pakistani comics artists
Pakistani comics writers
Pakistani animators
University of the Punjab alumni
Australian National University alumni
1953 births
People from Islamabad
Pakistani women artists
BBC 100 Women
Pakistani female comics artists
Female comics writers
Women animators