Help Freelance Cartoonist, Bernard, Buy Gear, set up Website, Draw our Times!

I am Bernard, a freelance cartoonist, and journalist living in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

My editorial cartoons mirror the news and scandal of the day, be it in Zimbabwe, Georgia USA, or Tanzania. My pencil knows no borders and pulls no punches whether it Nancy Pelosi, Robert Mugabe, or Prince Harry.

At a great personal cost (I have been arrested and imprisoned for my work) I have reported about mining brutalities, corruption, water pollution, women's rights, and illicit finance activities – for 15 years now.

Most of my work is published online by the likes of Rural Reporters Africa, Rest of World, and Reuters. My cartoons, I offer them mostly for free to local publications here in Zimbabwe.

Now I kindly request your help. I am seeking funding to purchase a laptop, a camera for capturing pictures to turn into sketches, and an internet supply to build a website to offer, host, publish and offer my weekly editorial cartoons for free to you – readers.

I have been a freelance journalist for a long time here in Zimbabwe. I don’t earn much from my editorial cartoons because the media industry is dying here in terms of revenue and cartoonists are the last folks to be remembered. In few instances where my cartoon has been compensated, it is simply $10 per cartoon, which is hardly enough for me, being a family man. COVID-19 outbreak has further laid to waste my income chances as a humble cartoon. It has buried my ability to earn from cartoons yet the pandemic is rich and in need of cartoonists to decipher our tremendous times that we are living in.

So my goal is to buy Cartoonist gear. I need an Asus Zenbook 14 laptop, an internet connection, COREL Draw Painter cartoonist software, photographic camera, Canon EOS M50, and hire an affordable programmer to set up a website for me to upload my cartoons to the world, so you readers can read them whether you are in Johannesburg or Atlanta or Singapore. In return, for you my readers, and donors, if you request, I will draw a personalized cartoon for you; your friends; family to reflect a theme of your life. (You will be free to tip me of course).

I carried out a pricing survey for the sketcher laptop + software + camera gear I need. It´s so expensive here in Zimbabwe and most of what is on the market here where I live is substandard. I can´t afford it too hence that´s why I have chosen to appeal directly to readers and cartoon lovers.

When you offer your precious income as donations, you will enrich my work as an editorial cartoonist and the livelihood of my family. Thank you for reading my campaign and if you cannot donate, please at least share with family and friends.

Here are clips of my past journalism work for you to enjoy:

https://restofworld.org/2021/inside-zimbabwes-underground-forex-trade/

https://dailynews.co.zw/army-to-evict-100-villagers-from-cantonment/