Pakistan’s First Female Cartoonist and her ‘Gogi’ in Canada

Nigar Nazar speaks of her creation with obvious affection. "Gogi is a Pakistani woman who wears polka dots – because I love them." Though internationally recognized and honoured as Pakistan's first female cartoonist, Nazar modestly confesses, "I doodled long before I became an artist." She approached the principal of the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, who gave her six books on how to draw cartoons. And so Gogi was born. "Gogi was my nickname and I created her as my alter- ego,'' Nazar says. "Gogi is misunderstood, lovable at heart, down to earth, concerned about social issues and, most important, women's issues." Gently and with humour, Gogi would speak out against male chauvinism, domestic violence, garbage on the streets. She even took on such socially taboo topics as AIDS and sexual harassment. Nigar Nazar is also concerned about the environment. She created the book The Garbage Monster for Pakistan's environment ministry and her cartoons against littering cover a number of local buses in Islamabad and Lahore.