GOGI cartoon buses in Pakistan
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"Gogi’s" character was created
by Nigar Nazar,when she willfully decided to switch subjects in college from
Pre Medical to Fine Art. Soon after graduation , 1971 Gogi appeared in a
comic strip for "The Sun".Later she was featured on television, in
children’s art program’s, posters, other newspapers and greeting cards. The perky dotted Gogi appeared in print media as well as the electronic and gradually established herself as the mouthpiece of Pakistani progressive women. However due to Nigar’s inconsistent stays in Pakistan, Gogi faced lapses in her appearance and at times disappeared from the public arena altogether. Nevertheless Gogi came back, and this time in 2003 Gogi cartoons were plastered on public buses in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, along with social messages and slogans on issues such as sexual harassment, environment, children’s rights, female literacy, education, national unity and good governance. And yet again,recently two Gogi buses ply in the city of Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan.They carry messages of sexual harrasment and education for girls. |
| Commuters and several
pedestrians see the seven Gogi buses (at present) carrying community
messages. These exuberant images convey strong social messages that make
people think if not mould their attitude. The Gogi buses were made possible
with the help of the sponsors such as embassies and foundations. Gogi has
gradually come across as the symbol of Pakistani womanhood. The advertising space on each bus costed 250,000 rupees-approximately $4,700 and the wrapping ,approximately $3,500.Buses with cartoons is an unprecedented act in Pakistan and has been received with positive attitude, infact it has quickly become popular and people often talk about the colorful Gogi buses. With persistent viewing, social messages are seen by thousands and thousands of people everyday and the roads are adorned with the wonderful work of colours. When seen by the people everyday they become a very visible means of advocacy with Gogi smiling all the way. By Nosheen Abbas |
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Gogi Studios
www.gogicomics.com
Phone #: 2211468
‘SAHIL’
www.sahil.org
Phone #: 2260636
PRESS RELEASE
Nosheen Fatima Abbas
Contact number:03004541910
ANOTHER GOGI BUS ON THE GO!
Social messages need to reach out to the masses, and Gogi Studios has done just
that. Nigar Nazar the creator of Gogi has used her central character for
advocating messages in Islamabad and recently in the city of Lahore. The NGO
‘SAHIL’has collaborated with Gogi Studios to prepare a public bus with message
on child safety, which will ply on a regular route in Lahore from Monday 5th of
April. The Gogi bus project was first conceived and operated in year 2000, by
the cartoonist Nigar Nazar.
Social messages on child rights, female literacy, environment, good governance,
national unity, sexual harassment etc.have been disseminated by the Gogi Studios
through bright captivating cartoon drawings plastered on the buses and now a
colourful bus on Child safety with the collaboration of “Sahil”.
‘Sahil’ was established in 1996 as an NGO to ensure the protection of children
as stated in Article 34 of child rights convention “State parties undertake to
protect the child from all forms of exploitation and abuse”. Sahil believes that
no one has to be a victim. One side of the bus shows Gogi saying, “encourage
your child”, and the image shows a father guiding his young son in positioning
his cricket bat. The second image follows with the father rewarding his child
with sweets. The last panel of the sequential art shows the young boy refusing
sweets from a stranger, thereby not falling a victim to the negative element in
the society. Similarly the other side of the bus as well as the back of the bus
conveys messages on these lines in a graphic way, overriding the literacy
barrier. The medium of the bus will indeed reach the common man and the affluent
alike, when it does its rounds from Gulshan Ravi Sectariat, GPO Regal, the Mall,
Fortress Stadium up to the new airport.
This delightfully colourful bus thus encourages parents to help create an
environment for better communication between children and parents. Sahil has
taken a bold step to propagate such positive messages to parents especially the
simple masses that are vulnerable to the ills of
our society. “Such messages are the crying need of the day, in other cities as
well,” commented some onlookers as the bus was being wrapped.
Click on
http://www.gogicomics.com/bus1.html for more about Gogi cartoons.