{"id":7098,"date":"2026-08-19T04:19:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T04:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/?p=7098"},"modified":"2026-09-24T23:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T23:25:31","slug":"top-10-des-meilleures-bd-africaines-histoires-valeurs-et-oeuvres-incontournables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/top-10-des-meilleures-bd-africaines-histoires-valeurs-et-oeuvres-incontournables\/","title":{"rendered":"African comics that deserve a place on your shelf"},"content":{"rendered":"

In short:<\/strong> Aya of Yop City<\/em> by Marguerite Abouet and Cl\u00e9ment Oubrerie is the
\nobvious way in for an adult, Akissi<\/em> by the same authors, the one for a
\nchild. Beyond those two, African comics cover far more ground
\nthan French bookshop shelves suggest: from Gabonese satire to the
\nSouth African superhero, by way of a new generation of creators who blend
\nmythology and science fiction.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s clear up a misunderstanding right away. \u201cAfrican comics\u201d is not a
\ngenre \u2014 any more than \u201cEuropean comics\u201d is. You\u2019ll find social chronicle,
\nautobiography, fantasy, superheroes and reportage. What ties them
\ntogether is a point of view: African stories told from
\nthe inside.<\/p>\n

The table, at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Title<\/th>\nAuthor<\/th>\nCountries<\/th>\nAudience<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Aya of Yop City<\/td>\nM. Abouet & C. Oubrerie<\/td>\nC\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/td>\nTeens and adults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Akissi<\/td>\nM. Abouet & M. Sapin<\/td>\nC\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/td>\nAges 6-10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La Vie de Pah\u00e9<\/td>\nPah\u00e9<\/td>\nGabon<\/td>\nTeens and adults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Malamine, un Africain \u00e0 Paris<\/td>\nC. N. Edimo & S.-P. Mbumbo<\/td>\nCameroon<\/td>\nAdults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Une \u00e9ternit\u00e9 \u00e0 Tanger<\/td>\nE. Ngangu\u00e8 & F. Titi<\/td>\nCameroon \/ C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/td>\nTeens and adults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tamba, l\u2019enfant soldat<\/td>\nM. Achard & Y. D\u00e9gruel<\/td>\nUnnamed African country<\/td>\n12 and up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Djeliya<\/td>\nJuni Ba<\/td>\nSenegal \/ France<\/td>\nTeens and adults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kwezi<\/td>\nLoyiso Mkize<\/td>\nSouth Africa<\/td>\nAges 10+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mariam Plays Ball<\/td>\nUltimes Griots<\/td>\nC\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/td>\nAges 6-11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Awakening of the Jeli<\/td>\nUltimes Griots<\/td>\nWest Africa<\/td>\nAges 10+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

The classics: where to start<\/h2>\n

Aya of Yop City \u2014 Marguerite Abouet and Cl\u00e9ment Oubrerie<\/h3>\n

Abidjan in the late 1970s. Aya wants to become a doctor; her friends mostly
\nthink about going out. It\u2019s a neighborhood chronicle \u2014 funny, tender, never pitying
\n\u2014 and that is exactly what made its mark: an everyday Africa where people laugh and
\nfall in love, a world away from humanitarian imagery.<\/p>\n

Why read it:<\/strong> it\u2019s the comic that put African comics on the map
\nin French bookshops. It was also adapted into an animated film.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> teens and adults. The romantic storylines are aimed at a
\nteenage readership at the very least.<\/p>\n

Akissi \u2014 Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin<\/h3>\n

The same author, for children. Akissi is a little girl from Abidjan who
\ngets into one scrape after another. Short gag format, very physical humor.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> ages 6-10. One of the rare children\u2019s titles where an African child is the
\ncomic hero, not the subject of a lesson.<\/p>\n

La Vie de Pah\u00e9 \u2014 Pah\u00e9<\/h3>\n

The graphic autobiography of a Gabonese author, between Gabon and France.
\nFunny, biting, sometimes scathing about the way Africans are seen in Europe.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> teens and adults.<\/p>\n

\n

The more demanding works<\/h2>\n

Malamine, un Africain \u00e0 Paris \u2014 Christophe Ngalle Edimo and Simon-Pierre Mbumbo<\/h3>\n

Malamine Karabou\u00e9 holds a doctorate in economics from the Sorbonne. Shut out of the posts that
\nshould be his back home because he is not from the right ethnic group, he
\ngets by in Paris as a stretcher-bearer. The book tackles head-on the question of brain
\ndrain and of going home, without offering an easy answer \u2014 and goes as far as showing
\nhow bitterness can turn into political resentment.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> adults.<\/p>\n

Une \u00e9ternit\u00e9 \u00e0 Tanger \u2014 Eyoum Ngangu\u00e8 and Faustin Titi<\/h3>\n

An African teenager who wants to reach Europe and ends up stuck in
\nTangier. Published long before the subject was all over the media.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> ages 14 and up. A hard subject, handled without complacency.<\/p>\n

Tamba, l\u2019enfant soldat \u2014 Marion Achard and Yann D\u00e9gruel<\/h3>\n

Before a truth and reconciliation commission, sixteen-year-old Tamba testifies about what
\nhe did during the war. The story of a child forced to fight, then of his
\nrebuilding. The subject is grave, but the telling stays accessible to a
\nyoung reader. The country is never named \u2014 a deliberate choice by the authors.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> ages 12 and up, ideally followed by a conversation.<\/p>\n

\n

The new generation<\/h2>\n

Djeliya \u2014 Juni Ba<\/h3>\n

A free retelling of the epic of Sundiata Keita<\/a>
\nset in a devastated world: the last prince of a dying kingdom and
\nAwa Kouyat\u00e9, his djeli<\/em>, march toward the tower of the sorcerer who destroyed their
\nworld. The art is stylized, far removed from Franco-Belgian realism.<\/p>\n

Why it matters:<\/strong> it shows that African oral heritage can
\nfeed contemporary fiction instead of just being preserved.<\/p>\n

Good to know:<\/strong> published in English by TKO Studios. Check whether it\u2019s available in
\nFrench before giving it as a gift.<\/p>\n

Kwezi \u2014 Loyiso Mkize<\/h3>\n

A young man from Gold City \u2014 an imaginary metropolis modeled on Johannesburg \u2014
\ndiscovers he has powers, and that they bind him to a heritage he
\nused to shrug off. The first South African superhero, in a genre where Africa is
\nusually absent or decorative.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> ages 10 and up. Published mainly in English \u2014 check
\nbefore giving it as a gift.<\/p>\n

\n

Also worth reading:<\/strong> African Mythology: Gods, Spirits and Legends<\/a>
\n\u2014 the background many of these authors draw on.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Our comics<\/h2>\n

We publish comics for a specific reason: the titles above are
\nexcellent, but very few are aimed at readers aged 6-12<\/strong>, and even fewer feature
\ncontemporary African children as the heroes of their own story.<\/p>\n

Mariam Plays Ball<\/h3>\n

In the backstreets of Abidjan, Mariam wants to become a footballer. Everyone around her
\nkeeps telling her it\u2019s not for girls. An Ivorian story about
\nperseverance, with no moral tacked on at the end.<\/p>\n

Who it\u2019s for:<\/strong> ages 6-11.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Discover Mariam Plays Ball<\/a><\/p>\n

The Awakening of the Jeli, then Dissongo<\/h3>\n

Our Afrofuturist series: the figure of the jeli<\/em>, the griot, transposed into a
\nWest African science-fiction universe, where legends are still passed down
\nunder the palaver tree<\/a>. Two books out<\/strong> \u2014 The Awakening of the
\nJeli<\/em> opens the story, Dissongo<\/em> continues it.<\/p>\n

What you need to know:<\/strong> it\u2019s an ongoing series \u2014 start with book one,
\nThe Awakening of the Jeli<\/em>. And if you\u2019re looking for a complete story in a single volume,
\ngo for Mariam Plays Ball<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 Book 1 \u2014 The Awakening of the Jeli<\/a> \u00b7
\nBook 2 \u2014 Dissongo<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

How to choose<\/h2>\n

By age, first.<\/strong> The gap is huge between Akissi<\/em> (age 6) and Une \u00e9ternit\u00e9 \u00e0
\nTanger<\/em> (14 and up). The comic format is misleading: just because it\u2019s drawn
\ndoesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s for children.<\/p>\n

Then by taste.<\/strong> Social chronicle (Aya<\/em>, Akissi<\/em>), autobiography
\n(Pah\u00e9<\/em>), social issues (Malamine<\/em>, Tamba<\/em>), fantasy (Djeliya<\/em>, Kwezi<\/em>,
\nThe Awakening of the Jeli<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Check the language and availability.<\/strong> Part of Africa\u2019s comics output
\nis in English or published locally, so it is hard to find in French
\nbookshops. It\u2019s a real limit of the market, not a detail.<\/p>\n

\n

Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n

What is the best-known African comic?<\/strong>
\nAya of Yop City<\/em>, by Marguerite Abouet and Cl\u00e9ment Oubrerie. It\u2019s the series that
\nopened French bookshops to African comics.<\/p>\n

Are there African comics for children?<\/strong>
\nYes, but the choice is still thin. Akissi<\/em> from age 6, and books from African
\npublishers such as Ultimes Griots for ages 6-12.<\/p>\n

Where can I buy African comics?<\/strong>
\nThe big titles are in general bookshops. For African publishers, the
\nmost reliable option is their own website.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Our shop<\/a><\/p>\n

African comics and manga: what\u2019s the difference?<\/strong>
\nThey are distinct graphic traditions. French-language African comics are
\nclose to the Franco-Belgian format (hardcover album, full color). An African comics
\nscene influenced by manga does exist, notably in Nigeria and South
\nAfrica.<\/p>\n

Are all African comics about serious subjects?<\/strong>
\nNo, that\u2019s a clich\u00e9. Aya<\/em> and Akissi<\/em> are funny above all.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 All our creations<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our pick of African comics: the classics to start with, the more demanding works and the new generation of creators. By age and by taste, with an honest take on what each one is really worth.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides-de-lecture"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/452"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7101,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7098\/revisions\/7101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimesgriots.com\/en_US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}