Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga noted that “whereas politicians draft laws, cartoonists draft the conscience. From managing the high-stakes shadows of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings in The Hague to illustrating the chaotic birth of our devolved governance systems between 2012 and 2016, 'It’s a Madd Madd World' has ensured that power is constantly held accountable through humour.”

Across several novels, marriage is not presented as one uniform experience. It is shaped by family, religion, economics, culture and individual choices. Their protagonists do not all arrive at the same conclusions, but their stories reveal the many negotiations involved in being a wife.

The mother nodded. “I know my son. He is like his father and needs someone who can stand up to him, and you look like you do not like trouble.” Muna looked at her adversary in disbelief but secretly impressed with how fast she had worked her out. “If you are going to hang on to him, you will have to learn how to stand up to him, and other women, because there will be other women. Even better, leave him while it is still early.” Muna shook her head, not in refusal, but in disbelief. She could feel her face growing hot. She willed her jelly legs not to let her down. She turned her gaze towards the window that did not reveal more than an old tree. “Leave him. I can pay you enough.”

In death, Raila was accorded a state funeral, and the country watched as a man who had spent decades seeking the presidency received the ceremonial honours of a former national leader. The symbolism was striking. He never became president, yet his death occasioned the rituals, public mourning and national attention usually reserved for figures who had occupied the highest office.

The question of how stories move beyond their place of origin was also central to Grivel’s contribution to the exhibition programme.“Be self-confident about your culture and where you come from if you want to see your stories travel.” His advice is to begin with what they know rather than attempting to make their work conform to an imagined international audience.Manga offers one example of how stories rooted in a particular cultural context can find readers around the world. Their international reach demonstrates that cultural specificity need not be a barrier to wider appeal. For Grivel, the connection lies in emotion. A story may emerge from a particular place, culture or experience, but the feelings it explores can resonate with readers elsewhere.

Many people I know have been cremated. Prof Wangari Maathai. Charles Mugane Njonjo. Jeremiah Kiereini. Allan Thigo. Tough people. Important people. Revered celebrities and public figures. The news no longer rattles me. I am old enough to know the dead give no damn.