Through Frames in Sketch and Story

  Afrofuturism has become one of the most dynamic artistic movements of our time, an intersection of culture, imagination, identity, and rebellion.  It stretches beyond sci-fi tropes and cool tech to become a canvas for rewriting the past and dreaming up liberated futures. One of the latest and most exciting additions to this space is Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire , a Disney+ animated anthology showcasing African futurist storytelling through ten short films by creators from across the continent. But as much as Kizazi Moto lights up the screen with dazzling visuals and bold ideas, it also invites a deeper question.  What does it mean for African creators to reclaim their cultures through speculative storytelling? And even more provocatively, what if Kizazi Moto had been made entirely in Africa, with African studios, African funding, and African infrastructure? This is a conversation about ownership , place , and the power of telling our own stories in our own way . A...

As African animation gains traction on the global stage, the fog begins to clear and the land of stories begins to emerge. From folklore to futurism, heroism to heritage, the continent’s storytellers have shown immense range and resilience.  But now, the question isn’t just what’s next, but also what's missing?  What kind of stories have we not yet told? Or rather what narratives are still waiting to be animated, explored, and reimagined? And more importantly, which genres bring in a greater lens for African animation in Africa, and in a global perspective, for the animation world. We look to turn the lens inward, to examine  the possibilities, and the urgent stories still left untold. Beyond the Village: Everyday African Modernity When it comes to the stories that are told about the Africa, there is often a lot that is explored within the rural-urban perspective, that is often mostly rooted in the village in Africa. Too often, African stories are visually frozen in ...

In recent years, African animation has been steadily gaining global attention, not just for its visual artistry, but for its storytelling power.  As studios and independent creators across the continent begin to redefine the narrative space, the question of how diversity and authenticity will navigate the waters of the global climate of animation, is one the runs around the small crevices of how shows are done. However, a question or possibly ponder again emerges, in wondering if the use of hybrid genres to bring forward diverse, culturally rooted, and forward-looking stories. This aim to think of the future of storytelling in African animation is not just stylistic. It’s foundational.  Hybrid genres are helping or could possibly help African animation not only push the boundaries of storytelling, but also support a more flexible and collaborative production pipeline, while preserving authenticity in a continent as culturally vast and varied as Africa. The Rise of Hybrid Gen...

In global sci-fi and fantasy, time is often a strict, linear progression, events follow one another in a neat cause-and-effect chain.  But in many African cultures, time is fluid, layered, and cyclical, entwined with memory, ancestry, and spirituality.  Afrofuturism in Africa uniquely reflects these concepts, offering fresh storytelling possibilities that challenge Western notions of time and futurity. With that in perspective, what does the Afrofuturism genre in the growing African animation voice, provide for African animation creators? But first, what is Afrofuturism? What Is Afrofuturism? Afrofuturism is more than just a blend of science fiction and African culture, it's a lens through which the African diaspora reimagines the future, past, and present.  It merges African aesthetics, culture, and history with speculative elements like advanced technology, outer space, alternate realities, and myth.  It's a way for Black creators globally, and especially Afric...