This is why it surprises me that Madam & Eve which, in many respects, is a far superior cartoon, is becoming increasingly forgotten in the wake of Zapiro's rising popularity. The reason for Madam & Eve's decline is perhaps attributed to the fact that it does not take the hardened approach to politics that Zapiro does. Yes, politics remains a central component of Madam & Eve but it's utilized in a softer, more playful and (some may argue) a less complex manner than Zapiro. Let's for instance take a look at the Zapiro cartoon of the almost long forgotten Brett Murray scandal from a month ago:
In this cartoon Zapiro satirize Jacob Zuma and the ANC's victory over Murray, the Goodman Gallery and The City Press by digging deep into the trenches of Russian history to draw a parallel between Zuma's actions and those of Joseph Stalin (ironically the 'Spear' painting itself is modelled after the campaign posters of Vladimir Lenin, Stalin's predecessor). This cartoon merges provocative historical narrative with our present political realities, emphasizing that history is continuously repeating itself, even if it is in a subtler form. In Madam & Eve Zuma's anxiety about the painting is presented in a more tongue-in-cheek form:
Here Madam & Eve does some semi-historical mapping as it attempts to find some common ground between the Spear incident and the infamous Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky scandal. The key to our enjoyment of the cartoon, however, does not rely on taking on an academic approach as we analyse the continuities between past and present histories as we do with the Zapiro cartoon. Rather, it's about indulging in the very intimate, candid and casual conversation between Zuma and Clinton. That's the thing with Madam & Eve: even when it's political, it's actually all about the personal.
The personal angle is essentially Zapiro's weakness. Shapiro knows how to push a political agenda and inspire controversy but he does not know how to capture everyday lives, the small and vital elements that make up the psychological and social make-up of every South African. On the other hand, Stephen Francis and Rico, the creators of Madam & Eve have a keen sense of how to transform mundane social conversations, drinking, cleaning and even sleeping into exceptional comedy. Whether it be exchanges between politicians, Madam and Eve's salary disputes or Mother Anderson's gin and tonic addiction, no aspect of daily life goes unexplored in Madam & Eve. On that note, no South African voice goes unrepresented in the comic strip either. The primary characters of course are Madam (aka Gwen Anderson) who represents the voice of the suburban wife, Eve who represents the lifestyle of the average domestic worker and Mother Anderson who fulfills the role of the sometimes disenchanted foreigner. Yet there are a multitude of supporting characters who give each demographic their respective moment in the comic spotlight. Most impressively children are not treated as mere appendages to the adults. As represented through the eyes of little Thandi, children are shown to be just as politically and socially aware as the adults of the comic strip and the way Thandi uses her innocence to navigate through socio-political situations is comic gold.
This, however, is not the only impressive aspect of Madam & Eve. See, in many instances, it is also a cartoon about the process and pressures that form part of the comic producing process. When in the past Francis, Rico and Harry Dugmore (another writer on the team who left a couple of years ago) got a bout of writers block, they marooned Madam and Eve on a desert island. In a stroke of genius, Madam and Eve were made well aware of their creators writing troubles and we empathized with them as they scrambled to find appropriate punchlines to fill the fourth panel. In another cartoon, the creators demonstrated how they were toying with ideas for a Madam & Eve spin-off. They imagined Madam and Eve in a variety of different contexts. In one panel it was Adam and Eve, in another it was Adam and Steve and, most surprisingly, Saddam and Eve even got a mention. In that particular panel Saddam Hussein was seen shouting at Eve to do his ironing. Unsurprisingly, the personal yet again became part of the political and the comic strip merged social reality with a meta-comic narrative.
The fact of the matter is that though it is more subtle and happy, Madam and Eve has an accessibility and intelligence that Zapiro lacks in comparison. It understands the charm and perils of being a South African citizen and has an honesty which is often rarely found in comics of its nature. It's just a damn shame that in all the Zapiro hype, readers have let it slip through their fingers.
Source for picture one: http://www.zapiro.com/Cartoons/32622-zuma
Source for picture two: http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2012/05/south-african-scandal-acquires-us.html
Source for picture three: http://donnedwards.openaccess.co.za/2006_04_01_archive.html
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