Click the pic below to join Penelope on her journey through Mama Africa.




When the drumming stops...

I once met this guy who told me that he "was not of this world". I'm not kidding. It's a scary thing for a six year old to hear. Belief and reality are not necessarily the same thing (as you have just seen). This cartoon is basically (for me at least) about reality. A reality made manifest in a rather unique restaurant. this isn't about promotion of any kind. It's about the people in this restaurant, those that make your experience worthwhile.

When I first set foot in Mama Africa Restaurant, I realised that it was not what it seemed. I liked it so much that I came back time and time again. What is it that brings me back? The atmosphere. The staff. The people who take your orders, who make sure that everything is going your way, no matter what it costs them. I've spent quite a lot of time with them. I've watched them from a distance I've gotten to know some of them. They're really why I keep coming back. All the (background) stories in this comic are true. Every ornament has a story. Just being there is a journey in itself. There's always something new. People usually come to Africa not knowing what to expect. Rumours, urban legends, these are the things that usually cloud their minds. Mama Africa is the grounding experience that discards myth and guides them into reality. It provides the veil for us to pass through into what Africa is really about. People.

I am going to leave it right there, but not without thanking everyone at Mama Africa. This is my chance to say thanks for taking time out of your lives to change mine. For those of you who have looked through this work, I hope you enjoy the journey. I know I have.

Grant.