The graphic novel "Blind Spot" brings to life the ways in which politics plays out in Kenya’s food system. It is set in a fictional future county called Kajibora. It highlights how food is a deeply political issue and, most importantly, sparks a conversation around the influence of power dynamics on our global and local food systems and our ability to progressively realize the Right to Food for all. The unequal position but significant potential of women to lead food systems transformation is also portrayed through the strength and aspirations of two of the novel’s main characters, Sifa and Dalili.
The graphic novel aims to use the power of storytelling to highlight how food is a deeply political issue and, most importantly, to spark a conversation around the influence of power dynamics on our global and local food systems and our ability to progressively realize the Right to Food for all. It covers various themes, including the disenfranchisement of smallholder producers, the influence of the private sector on government processes and policymaking, the erosion of food, seed, and farmer sovereignty, the continuous undermining of human rights, the need for political accountability, and the impacts of industrial agriculture on environmental justice, health, and ecosystems. The unequal position but significant potential of women to lead food systems transformation is also portrayed through the strength and aspirations of two of the novel’s main characters, Sifa and Dalili.
Through this special edition of Cha Kula, The Route to Food Initiative invites you to consider agroecological alternatives as a solution to chronic food insecurity and to be a champion for the realization of the Right to Food in Kenya. We advocate for just, sustainable, and equitable food and farming systems (agroecology) as a means to achieve the realization of the Right to Food in Kenya.
Free download is available here.
The graphic novel was first launched by the Heinrich Boell Foundation’s Route to Food Initiative. It is part of the dossier "Youth & democracy in Africa. Young voices on the rise".
