São Paulo, October 19, 2009 -- From October 13-16, American cartoonist and educator, David Brown took part in the opening of the art exhibit “Picha” at the Afro-Brazil Museum.  He also conducted several workshops for at-risk youth and art educators in Sao Paulo.   

“Picha” has toured in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Majorca and presents the works of Mr. Brown and Brazilian comic artist, Mauricio Pestana along with 22 African comic artists.  The exhibit includes original drawings from continental Africa, Brazil and the United States offering the artists’ personal perspective of the African continent and the social issues they deal with daily.   

David Brown meets with students from Center for Youth Support in São Paulo	Cartoonist Mauricio Pestana, Consul General Thomas White and his wife Theresa and David Brown

Over 50 invitees including Consul General Thomas White and his wife, Terry, attended the opening of the exhibit on October 14 that included a roundtable discussion of the role of African comic artists.  David Brown, Mauricio Pestana, University of Sao Paulo researcher, Nobuyosi Chinen and U.S. Consulate political officer David Brooks all gave presentations on the development of African cartoons and comic strips.   

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, David met with 30 students from Center for Youth Support, an NGO that teaches over 1000 at-risk students in one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods.  On Thursday, Oct. 15, David gave a seminar to 15 art educators at the Afro-Brazil Museum, leading the group through the “Picha” exhibit and discussing his career and the enjoyment he receives from the many community teaching programs he has developed for the youth in Los Angeles.   

David Brown gives seminar for educators at Museu Afro-Brazil	Comic strip by David Brown	David Brown interacts with students at Museu Afro-Brazil

David is one of only a handful of African-American cartoonists in the U.S. today and his visit was an opportunity to promote a dialogue on racial equality and diversity in Brazil.  His visit strongly supports the objectives of the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan for Racial Equality (JAPER) and his workshops were well received by the young students.