Cartoonist's new book tackles bullying through a rhino's story Leon Govender, the Phoenix-born artist behind the newly released children's book Langa, which tells the story of a young rhino born without a horn and tackles themes of bullying and resilience.
Image: SUPPLIED
A new children's book is using the plight of a rhino without a horn to speak to one of the most pressing issues in South African schools: bullying.
The Govenders, Leon and Raksha, have just released Langa, the story of a young rhino born without a horn who navigates the cruelty of being different. The tale carries a dual message for young readers. On one hand, it gently introduces the conservation challenges facing South Africa's rhino population. On the other, it speaks directly to children who have experienced or witnessed bullying, offering a narrative of resilience and self-acceptance.
For Leon Govender, now 45, the book is the latest milestone in a journey that began decades ago on the dusky streets of Phoenix, where a young boy with a dream of becoming a cartoonist refused to let go.
Govender's earliest memory of developing a love for reading at the age of about 10 soon developed into a passion for comics in high school, where he found the two worlds of art and reading collided. He was at Greenbury High School in Phoenix when he met a comic book collector.
"He handed me my first comic. It was a Spiderman comic. I had never seen anything like that before. The pages came alive. The character seemed to move. It was a whole new world to me," he recalled.
The now professional artist also remembers the limited options for studying art at the time.
"Growing up, my generation was not encouraged to follow art as a career. The stigma of parents wanting their children to be a lawyer, doctor, teacher etc overtook any notion of being an artist. While I did enjoy subjects like Technical Drawing and learning to weave baskets in primary school, art in high school was seen as a wasted subject."
Determined to pursue his love for drawing and comics, Govender would wet writing paper until the lines disappeared, creating blank sheets to draw on. While he had the support of his family, who believed "he would make it someday," he faced disapproval from others who said he should "put away his childish dreams and get a real job."
"Growing up in Phoenix, there were no real outlets or platforms for me to develop my skills or explore my creativity. Despite this, I continued practising and drawing whenever I could. Through the frustration, I never gave up hope. I kept believing that somehow I would find a way to follow my dream."
After completing school, the options for studying art were limited and expensive.
"I had no choice but to find a job and place my dream on hold. At the time, I believed that this was the only option available to me."
Fate, however, had other plans. Through a friend, Vekesh Ramgulam, Govender was introduced to the Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design (CFAD), a school run by the renowned political satirical cartoonist, Dr Nanda Soobben.
"From the moment I walked into CFAD, I was captivated by the atmosphere. The smell of brewing coffee, the sound of music in the background and a room filled with young people who were excited about art created a space that felt alive with creativity," he said.
Soobben recalls the raw talent Govender possessed.
"He showed me some of his work, and I was very impressed. When he explained that he did not have the financial resources to study further, I offered him a scholarship, which he excelled at."
At CFAD, Govender met his wife, Raksha Chablalsing. Together they formed Dreamcatcher Studio. Their comic book concept, StreetpunX, was selected as one of the top ten finalists in the DC Zuda Comics Competition. In 2019, after working with many authors over the years, they published their own book, My First IsiZulu Picture Dictionary.
NEW BOOK Langa, the new children's book from Phoenix artist Leon Govender, tells the story of a young rhino born without a horn. It is a tale of bullying, resilience and self-discovery, drawn from a lifetime of believing in the power of dreams.
Image: Supplied
"The idea for this book came from our son, Yashvir, who had started learning IsiZulu at school. Like many other parents and learners, we found the language difficult to grasp, so we decided to create something that would make learning IsiZulu fun and accessible," said Raksha.
The book went on to win two awards in 2019: the AfriCAN Authors Award in the category of African Literacy and the APAPA Award for Book of the Year.
Throughout these projects, Govender never let go of his childhood dream of becoming an international comic book artist.
"That dream began to take shape when I sent my artwork to Tyler Kirkham, a well-known artist recognised for his dynamic style and his work on major comic book titles such as The Darkness and Witchblade. The moment he commissioned me was surreal and it took time to absorb what was happening. Up until then, it had always felt like a distant dream. Seeing the excitement around the release and my name listed as the comic's artist made it real for me, and that feeling is impossible to describe. This opportunity marked my international breakthrough into the comic book industry."
Reflecting on his journey, Govender hopes his story will inspire others.
"Today, I am proud of how far I have come. I sincerely hope that I have helped pave the way for younger generations to have opportunities and platforms to showcase their talents and abilities. This includes young dreamers like my son, Yashvir, who is now following in our footsteps and is becoming an artist in his own right. To all young dreamers, no matter what your dream may be, never give up."