Damien Hector Sonon (born 23 October 1970) is one of Benin’s leading cartoonists. At age 17, while still in school in 1987, he began working as a cartoonist for Benin’s largest independent newspaper, La gazette du golfe. From 1989 to 1992 he worked at the first satirical newspaper in Benin, Canard du golfe, and in 1993, after winning the Calao competition in 1992, he moved to Lome, Togo, where he worked for the satirical weekly Kpakpa désenchanté, for two years before returning to Benin in 1995. He has since drawn for a variety of newspapers including Tam tam express, Adjinakou, and Le caméléon, among others.
He self-published his first comic book, Zinsou et Sagbo, in 1990 and has illustrated fifteen children’s books including the 1999 Mais qu’est ce qu’il a dodo?, La Statuette sacrée, Les Belles noces de Faïma, and Le Caméléon de Codjo all published in 2002; Afi et le tambour magique and Abalo a le palu in 2004. Between 1996 and 2000, he collaborated with writer and journalist Florent Couao-Zotti on the series Cotonou: Inceste, sang et larmes and Les couleurs de la mémoire, the latter published in the magazine, Interfaces.
Although self-trained, he attended the l’Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1997.
Sonon has served as the president of l’Association des Auteurs et Illustrateurs de livres pour enfants, AILE-Bénin and has been the recipient of multiple awards, including the 1992 Calao competition, the “Prix Découvertes” for “Journées Africaines de la Bande Dessinée” in Libreville, the first prize “Africa e Mediterraneo” 2007-2008 for his project “Darfour.”; and the “Prix du Meilleur Dessin” at FIBDA . Frédéric Clément published a small book on his life and career, Hector Sonon, as part of the Carnets de la creation series by Éditions de l’œil.
Sources:
Biography at Foundation Zinsou
- 2009 interview with Christophe Cassiau-Haurie, “Cartoonists play an important role in the Transition to Democracy in Benin” on Africultures
- Cassiau-Haurie’s article “Hector ou l’ievresse de la creation” on Fondation Zinsou
- Toubab or not Toubab, Casterman, 2012
- Koffi Aze, Star Editions 2009
- Abalo a le palu, Ruisseaux d’Afrique, 2004
- Le Caméléon de Codjo, Ruisseaux d’Afrique, 2002
- Les Belles noces de Faïma, Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 2002
- La Statuette sacrée, Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 2002.
- Afi et la tambour magique, Edicef, 1999
- Mais qu’est-ce qu’il y a Dodo? 1997