Dav Andrew: talented artist working for positive change

If you follow Dav Andrew on social media, you either love his incisive social commentary and wit, or you’re a racist flooding his inbox with hate speech and violent threats.

But this Western Cape-bred virtuoso exudes a contagious positivity that outshines the trolls.

Known for his boldly styled illustrations and caricatures, Andrew boasts a full spectrum of visual art skills, which landed him on the SA comic SupaStrikas, which has also elevated the careers of many up-and-coming illustrators. His other career highlights include commission work for royalty, celebrities and big brands.

For all his popularity on various platforms and constant interaction with his audiences, Andrew is surprisingly reserved, soft-spoken and reveals very little about himself to his thousands of adoring fans.

What he really wants to use his platform for is to create positive change in the lives of underprivileged artists.

His latest endeavour is a passion project called #COLLABWITHAndrew, in which he attempts to collaborate with artists from every country in Africa, which he started in May. By day 41, he had received 66 entries from 23 different African countries.

Appreciating his work on a series of illustrations themed around ubuNgoma (African spiritual healers) one of his muses wrote on Facebook: “He is bringing light and positivity to African traditions and practices. Thokoza Andrew. This is amazing and this warms up my spirit! Thank you for embracing uBungoma and sharing it with the world.”

Having started off as a graffiti artist on the streets of Cape Town, Andrew soon began his career in earnest as an illustrator. “Illustration is a less illegal way of expressing my love for art,” he quips. His candour and wit also spill over into his less-known love of writing.

“I guess I’ve written a few stories here and there. Nothing hectic … some of them might still be on the internet,” he tells me, secretly hoping I won’t Google them.

Andrew draws his inspiration from the world around him, but also from Pan-Africanists and struggle heroes he learned about in his youth. “I like Steve Biko and Booker T Washington, his book Up From Slavery definitely changed my entire outlook on why I do art, and for who I do it. It inspired me quite a bit … also Robert Sobukwe and Mama Winnie.”

A large part of his career depends on social media engagement, a part of his job that he enjoys despite the uninvited darkness it sometimes comes with.

“I’m also a history geek and I enjoy retelling black history,” he explains.

“Or finding a great black or African historical figure and retelling their stories and accomplishments. As much as I enjoy social media, I also actively avoid it. I don’t check my DMs any more since it’s filled with insults and Forex people.”

And do not get him started on Twitter. You couldn’t even pay him to open an account on that platform.

What he really wants to do on social media is to address issues that affect people of colour and their communities, and create messaging that instils pride in them. “I want to cover as many topics as I can over time. I think its important to address it.”

Black South African cartoonists have repeatedly raised the irony and racism in how disproportionately they are discouraged from addressing racial issues compared to white cartoonists. This peculiarity has been raised in discussions about some of Andrew’s work in reaction to his harshest critics, who were often incensed by his audacity to call the oppression of black people racist. What Andrew tells me off the record would really anger them.

Back on the record, he stresses his desire is to force conversations through art and “to make sure we talk about history, the way forward, current concerns as well as creating content that celebrates Africa and its cultures and traditions”.

Recently, Andrew survived a struggle which has changed his outlook on life and health for the better.

“So I started feeling weird on the night of the 13th [last month],” he begins. His temperature was 38°C and, living with two medical workers and a small child, Andrew immediately sought to get tested for Covid-19.

“We got used to a system of not touching anything, cleaning everything, being super careful and by the mid 20s of the month, I was glad we were all cleared. All of us are okay, back to normal health again.”

As an extra precaution, the family had the place fumigated. It was an ordeal that shook him deeply.

“To be honest, the first five days were scary, I couldn’t breathe, it hurt to breathe in deep. I was always light-headed… I felt weak because my appetite was always gone, as someone who is always healthy and fit, who works out, it really scared me.”

He now lives on a 70% plant-based diet and he is finally getting on with goals he had been putting off before he fell ill, including moving to a new city.

– news@citizen.co.za

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