Mika Twizerimana Hirwa is a freelance illustrator, character designer and comic book artist from Rwanda. Based in Kigali, Mika is the publisher of Rwanda’s first comic books. Mika has published Kami, Rwoga, and Simbi the Inventor.

According to Rwanda Today, Kami is Mika Hirwa’s breakthrough comic book. Kami is a superhero story of a 13-year-old orphan who embarks on an adventure to find his parents and escape a fearsome gang of Msomajis who seek the awesome power the ancestors have bestowed him with. the process discovered he had super strength. Kami was recently longlisted in the graphic novel/comic book category of the Nommo Awards for Speculative Fiction by Africans.

Mika Hirwa has also illustrated several children’s books for clients like USAID Rwanda, Rwanda Education Board, Ducere Australia Foundation, Ghana Education Service, Imagine We, New Faces New Voices (NFNV) Rwanda and more.

Some of the books he has worked on include several projects such as Izuba by Isaac Nkusi and Atete Rugege, Ysoldie and Her Magical Shoes by Dominique Alonga, That Child Is Me by Clever Irakoze, Escape to a Strange Place by Dolph Banza, among others.

From the quirky to the conceptual, the playful to the dramatic—I create editorial illustrations and comics, children’s books, icons, and artwork, guaranteed to make you stop and take a closer look.

Mika Hirwa

Enjoy.

See more of Mika Hirwa’s work on Instagram, Pinterest, Behance, Twitter, Design Hill and on his website.

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Bahari Blue is Squid Mag’s Kadi Yao Tay and Kofi Sydney Asare’s and illustrator Bolaji “Art Nerd X” Olaloye’s scrapbook of favourite African (including the diaspora sometimes) artists they love, are inspired by and believe the whole world needs to know about.

So far we’ve featured Alfred Achiampong, Venus Bambisa, Malcolm Wopé, Simangaliso Sibaya, Kofi Ofosu, Ifesinachi Orjiekwe, Kudzai Ngundu, Salim Busuru, Rodney Tawanda Ngundu, Juni Ba, Poka Arts, Natasha Nayo, Hanson Akattti, Bertil Svanekiaer, Collyde Prime and Nils Britwum. See all the Bahari Blue features here.

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