Gogi

Nigar Nazar (born 1948) is the first Pakistani female cartoonist. Her character Gogi is an urban Pakistani woman struggling with her frailties in the context of gender-discriminate social norms. She has been drawing cartoons professionally since 1971.

In 2009, Nazar completed five "awareness comics". Three books compiling her cartoons have been published, as well as several calendars, brochures, diaries, and posters. In collaboration with NGOs, 12 public transport buses were wrapped with Gogi cartoons in 2004 to convey social messages. She has produced several books for children on health and hygiene, the, first aid, and safety, all published and distributed by the government of Pakistan.

 

Now living in Islamabad, Nazar says "My work ... it came from the newspaper and then it came into the community, on public buses. And from public buses, it went into hospitals. From hospitals, it went into books. And from books it went to comic books. From comic books, I teach programs now."