What a wonderful Sunday at Malvern Books! We got the afternoon off to a lively start with Mae Stoll and ComeDrumForFun, a small community of hand drummers who love to play and celebrate West African rhythms on traditional West African instruments like the djembe. Have a listen to their fantastic performance below—and, as Mae says, foot-stomping is definitely encouraged!

I think you’ll agree ComeDrumForFun is a tough act to follow—but Issa Nyaphaga was certainly up to the task. An acclaimed multi-media artist and dedicated human rights activist, Issa published over 5000 cartoons, drawings, and comics in his home country of Cameroon, reaching over 5 million readers, many of whom were marginalized and illiterate. In the late 1990s in Paris he was a contributing cartoonist with Charlie Hebdo. He has also conducted art therapy programs for child soldiers and at-risk children and teenagers, and earlier this year he addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on the subject of freedom of artistic expression. Issa was visiting Malvern to introduce his new book, Art Stronger Than Hate (Alamo Bay Press), a collection of provocative political cartoons that demonstrate his commitment to free speech, artistic expression, and social justice. Have a listen to Issa below, and prepare to be educated and inspired by this extraordinary artist and activist.