"This is a big responsibility, we are very excited," says Pitshou Mampa, and his colleague Jose "King" Jungo agrees enthusiastically.

Mampa and Jungo are two of the artists who were involved with the Madiba Legacy Series, a collection of nine comics aimed at getting children interested in South African history, through its depiction of the life of Nelson Mandela. The comics were initiated by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and written in consultation with an editorial team and historians.

While the official proceedings at the launch of the comic books on Friday featured congratulatory speeches from the foundation and sponsor Anglo American, as well as a keynote speech from Mandela himself, I found it strange that the comic creators themselves seemed overlooked.

Is it really true in South Africa today that we value business and money over art and creativity? Of course we all expected to hear from Anglo American's Lazarus Zim, but a word of thanks for the artists involved was strangely absent.

But Mampa and Jungo were pleased nonetheless. Mampa, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Jungo, from Angola, were both involved in the drawing, inking and colouring.

"This is the biggest thing that can happen to us," said an awed Mampa. "In Africa, Madiba is like the grandfather of Africa."

"We really feel we did our countries proud," Jungo added, pointing out the team behind the comics had been an international one, consisting of two Congolese, one Angolan, and three South Africans.

Umlando Wezithombe, the publishers of the comic, have been involved with a number of historical educational comics, including the story of Mapungubwe, the story of Steve Biko, and Nongqawuse and the Xhosa Cattle Killings of 1856.

Both Mandela and John Samuel emphasised that comics have the power to reach across obstacles to education in South Africa. They are easier to read and understand, because of the pictures, and are less intimidating than textbooks, and can cross the divides of underdeveloped reading cultures and geographical isolation.

It's imperative that children are interested in learning - and if the Madiba Legacy series of comics inspires an interest in history and reading, then they have done enough.