SEREMBAN: The name Ibrahim Anon may not ring a bell. But Ujang and Aku Budak Minang might jog the memory. A renowned cartoonist, Ujang is the creative mind behind many legendary comic characters that many of us grew up with.
Aku Budak Minang, Aca, Atuk and Jibam, to name a few, were among the premier local cartoons that had engraved Ujang’s name as one of the most respected cartoonists in the 1980s and 1990s, with the majority of his works reflecting his life as a village boy from Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan.
He also illustrated Malaysia’s colourful races and harmony in Usop Sontorian, another signature work of the cartoonist, which had been extended to animation television series, making it the first locally-made animated cartoon series in the country.
It aired on TV1 from 1996 to 1998.
Ujang was all smiles as he reminisced the days when Usop Sontorian was a favourite among local audiences.
“There are a lot of things that can inspire a cartoonist’s work. I grew up in a multi-racial country, made friends with a lot of Chinese and Indians, as well as Malays. It would be a shame not to capture this in my work.
“I wanted to promote social harmony and understanding through light comedy without bias in Usop Sontorian. It was challenging but looking back, I’m glad I took it up,” said Ujang.
“There are ways to show your patriotic spirit. For me, I do it in the way I know best, through my art,” he added.
Usop Sontorian centres on the story of a village life of a boy named Usop, surrounded by his multiracial friends — Abu, Do, Ah Kim, Vellu and Singh. Set in Kampung Parit Sonto near Ayer Hitam, Johor, the animation promoted unity and harmonious relationship between all races in the country.
Ujang, 50, said freedom to let his creative juices flow was abundant in the past when readers were more open to sarcasm, which were plenty in his work.
“Cartoons was one of the ways to deliver social critiques to the public in those days. But today’s comic scene is different, even more so with the presence of social media platforms where everyone can be a judge and everything can be viral in a blink of an eye,” said Ujang.
As a veteran cartoonist, Ujang said, he always looked for ways to channel his skills to benefit the public, especially to the young generation.
“The way we educate them is different than how we were taught in the past. Cartoon artwork should not be sidelined as it is a powerful tool, not only to educate, but also to boost the spirit of the people,” said Ujang, who had just completed working on a special collaboration with a hypermart, in conjunction with Merdeka Day.
“I contribute my skills in designing a special Merdeka theme T-shirt, which also has my popular cartoon character in it. It is my way to show my spirit of patriotism with my fans,” he said.
For his more than 30 years contribution to the comic scene, the state government has dedicated an art space located in Terminal One, which immortalised his popular comic characters on a mural.
“This mural highlights the theme of family, as well as Negri Sembilan village life and culture that is significant and synonymous with the practice of Adat Perpatih here. The characters shown on the mural are special and close to my heart. I hope the mural and the art area will be able to attract more visitors and tourists to the state and spark interest in them to learn more about the uniqueness of the people here,” Ujang said.