Josef Yohannes
Josef Yohannes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Josef Tzegai Yohannes December 30, 1980 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation | Comics creator |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Citizenship | Norway |
| Alma mater | University of Oslo |
| Notable works | The Urban Legend |
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Josef Tzegai Yohannes, best known as Josef Yohannes, is an Eritrean-Norwegian comic book artist and writer, known for creating The Urban Legend.[1][2]
Early life and background[edit]
Josef Tzegai Yohannes was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980. He and his family moved to Oslo, Norway when he was 9 years old.[3] He grew up in the Grorud Valley suburb of Oslo, and was exposed to racism and poverty at a young age, which was part of the inspiration behind his later work as a writer.[4] He studied IT at the University of Oslo before switching to political science and human rights. While in university he was politically active and traveled to United Nations student conferences in the United States and Taiwan, at one point hoping to become the Prime Minister of Norway.[3][5]
Career[edit]
Yohannes was inspired to create a comic book starring a black superhero after travelling to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when he decided to go on a tour of 8 African countries. While in Botswana, he noticed two young boys playing in the street and realized that black children around the world did not have superheroes of African descent that they could look up to. Yohannes stated that "I really wanted to inspire them with something that could give them hope of a better tomorrow, something that could inspire them to follow their dreams and never give up no matter what circumstances they were facing".[6]
Yohannes initially faced ridicule when he pitched his idea for a black-led superhero comic, and had to sell his car and his apartment so that he could afford to keep working on it. Eventually, he moved to the United States to finish his project.[7] This project became The Urban Legend, a comic about an Eritrean-Norwegian high school teacher named Malcolm Tzegai Madiba who becomes a crime-fighting vigilante under the alias "The Urban Legend".[8] Yohannes named the character after people who had inspired him, including Malcolm X, Madiba (aka Nelson Mandela), and Yohannes' own father Tzegai.[9] The character of The Urban Legend was also partly based on Yohannes himself, who had been a teacher.[10]
In January 2012, the first of The Urban Legend was released in Norway.[11] The series had its US premiere in July of that year at the San Diego Comic-Con.[12] His success in Norway grew after the NRK made a documentary about Yohannes' work in the US.[13] The American newspaper USA Today published the series as a limited digital publishing deal beginning in 2013.[14]
The Norwegian gang B-gjengen (English: B-Gang) were included as antagonists in Season 2 of The Urban Legend, when the action moved from the fictional setting of Capital City to Oslo. In order to write the story, Yohannes arranged meetings with B-gjengen through a mutual acquaintance so that he could interview them.[15] Yohannes collaborated with Norwegian rapper Omer Bhatti on a new antagonist, The Suburban Myth, who was introduced in Season 2.[16]
The Urban Legend has been included in school curriculums in countries such as Norway, Brazil, Kenya, Eritrea, and South Africa.[1] It has been announced that Season 3 of The Urban Legend is in production, and is slated for a March 2020 release date.[17]
Other work[edit]
Yohannes has spoken on issues such as gang violence, racism, and the need for positive role models for at-risk youth.[18] He collaborated with the Malala Fund to advocate for girls' education in support of the 2015 documentary He Named Me Malala. As part of this collaboration, The Urban Legend released a one-page comic strip featuring Malala Yousafzai.[19][20]
In 2017, Yohannes led a workshop at the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, India where schoolchildren created their own superheroes which crossed boundaries of race, class, and gender.[21] He later spoke at the Delhi Comic Arts Festival.[22] In February 2018, he opened a screening of the Black Panther at the US Embassy in Oslo by speaking about the importance of representation and diversity in the film industry.[23][24]
Awards and honours[edit]
In 2014, Josef Tzegai Yohannes was named as one of Norway's "Mandela Ambassadors" the Nelson Mandela Foundation.[25] He has subsequently won several awards for his work as a comic book writer.[26]
| Year | Award | Association | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Best Entrepreneurial Artist[27] | Nordic Startup Awards | Won |
| Outstanding Young Person | Junior Chamber International Norway | Won |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "First Norwegian superhero is an African immigrant and school teacher". High Plains Reader, Fargo ND. Retrieved 2020-02-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Yohannes, Josef (2015-05-29). "Vi trenger Malcolm Tzegai Madiba". NRK (in norsk bokmål). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nøttveit, Andrea Rygg (2020-01-11). "Då eg var 20: Josef Yohannes ville bli Obama før Obama". Framtida. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ Johansen, Per Ivar. "Yohannes' åpenbaring". www.klikk.no (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "Josef måtte til USA for å lykkes | Utrop". Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian. "'The Urban Legend' fights crime on the mean streets". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ "Josef måtte til USA for å lykkes | Utrop". Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "Kritiserer norske tegneserier: – Fantasiløsheten plager meg". www.vg.no (in norsk bokmål). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ Heinesen, Carima Tirillsdottir (2014-11-19). "En helt vanlig superhelt". NY TID (in norsk bokmål). Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "Embassy hosts screening of Black Panther in recognition of Black History Month". U.S. Embassy in Norway. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ Bryne, Snorre (2012-01-28). "Her er Norges første superhelt". Dagbladet.no (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "– Jeg svarte kritikerne mine med å gjøre superhelten min enda svartere". www.vestbyavis.no (in norsk). 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "Josef måtte til USA for å lykkes | Utrop". Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian. "'The Urban Legend' fights crime on the mean streets". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ TV-anmelder, May Synnøve Rogne Film-og. "Tegneseriehelten The Urban Legend rydder opp i B-gjengen i Oslo". Aftenposten (in norsk bokmål). Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ Silvola, Nils Martin (2014-12-04). "Michael Jackson oppfordret Omer til å skape en superhelt". Dagbladet.no (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ "TheUrbanLegend". www.theurbanlegendcomics.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ Brage, Ørjan. "Groruddalstinget om kampen mot gangster-rekruttering: Ingen klarer jobben alene". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ "Norsk superhelt hjelper Malala". www.dagsavisen.no (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ Rusdal, Av Espen H.; L, Vårt. "To superhelter møtes". Dagsavisen (in norsk). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ Z, Av Ines Margot; er. "Vil fortelle Benjamins historie til nye generasjoner". Dagsavisen (in norsk). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ "When The Urban Legend came to town". Norgesportalen. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ↑ "Embassy hosts screening of Black Panther in recognition of Black History Month". U.S. Embassy in Norway. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ↑ Apneseth, Sindre Veum (2021-01-25). "Urban Legend-skaperen lanserer tegneserie til minne om Benjamin Hermansen". Groruddalen (in norsk). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ Faane, Elisabeth Tobiassen. "Mandela-ambassadør". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in norsk). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian. "New 'Urban Legend' issue reveals 'conflicted' hero". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ↑ "Nordic Startup Awards | Regional Finalists (National Winners) 2018". Nordic Startup Awards. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
External links[edit]
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