A MAGNIFYING GLASS ON THE SCRIPT ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT: HOW SOME UNTAPPED GENRES IN AFRICAN KIDS ANIMATION ARE CALLING TO BE TOLD

 

When people think of African kids animation, they often imagine vibrant colors, friendly animal characters, and a folktale unfolding with a moral at the end. While there’s beauty in preserving traditional storytelling, it’s time to expand the genre shelf.

Ahh genres. They help us put a story in a particular box of the human experience. However, how does that fit into the large of undefined box of African animation? More so, for kids.

African kids are not one-dimensional. They dream of the stars, ask deep questions, solve mysteries, play games in the streets, and imagine strange worlds, just like any kids anywhere.

So why should their animation experience be boxed into only one or two story types? Especially, with their unique experience of being and African child with several cultures to pull from.

Family entertainment in animation has often been filled with comedy, and a lot of satirical themes. When it comes to kids animation, the dominating tales involve Western world folklore with lots of fairytale adventures and also experiences that relate with their society.

Likewise, African animation is one the rise, and the question of "what would stories for African kids animation, look like?" is ever one the rise, but then, this could be the area in which African animation looks to take its fresh take on what it looks like to make family entertainment and kids animation.  

So here are 5 untapped genres African kids animation should explore, not just for creativity’s sake, but to reflect the full range of childhood in Africa.

Afrofuturism for Kids

Imagination rooted in African futures

One of the most popular and rising genres when it comes to African animation. It is hard to look at African animation's future without touching on kids animation being involved in the whole spectacle of a genre.

Afrofuturism has exploded in music, fashion, and cinema (think Black Panther or Nnedi Okorafor’s novels), but it’s rarely seen in children's animation. That’s a missed opportunity.

As African animation grows, Afrofuturism becomes a central genre in terms of telling stories because, it means a lot for the African continent in terms of reclaiming a voice, and most importantly for it's children. In doing so, these stories create a better voice and narrative in terms of representation of the African child in bringing in a new Africa or breaking negative stereotypes when going into places such as STEM, where majority of African kids are seen as incapable due to a lack of resources. It shows African kids a vision of the future where they are inventors, astronauts, and leaders. It also blends technology and tradition, creating stories that are both modern and culturally grounded.

For the animation world, this can be a fresh take towards seeing kid characters on screen and shaping a new era of African kids shaping what family entertainment can look on the continent, and possibly the world.

Imagine this:
A 10-year-old girl from Addis Ababa builds a solar-powered flying taxi to help her grandma beat traffic. A village in Ghana uses ancient symbols to unlock alien tech buried beneath the soil. Kids navigating school life in a Mars colony designed with Maasai architecture.

The future is African, let’s animate it.

Slice of Life (Urban & Rural Childhoods)

The power of the ordinary day

What does the everyday life look like for the African child? In many areas this has been generalized too much, and the exposure towards seeing kids run in playgrounds in a city, go to circus acts or fan fares, has dominated a lot of kids animation on screen.

Let us switch that up and see what the touch of a day in the life of an African child looks like. Yes, with a continent of diverse cultures, from Cairo, Nairobi, Johanesburg, Kumasi and many more, the day in the life has a taste of something different but unified in the same way.

Instead of a cirucs, they'll be a traditional cultural festival that lights up the city and village. Instead of being at a fan fare, they are kids play soccer in a patch of grass near a kiosk at a market, on market day.

Most African animation for kids leans toward epic or lesson-based storytelling. But what about the simple joys and struggles of growing up?

This genres has a huge impact on exploring the inner lives of kids and the realities of what African kids actually have to face, thereby raising necessary issues and also dismantling the generalization of African kids in mainstream media. It also helps African kids connect deeply with relatable stories.

Additionally, it captures real environments within Africa such schoolyards, markets, compound homes, public transport. From a moral perspective, it teaches empathy, humor, and emotional intelligence without preaching.

Imagine this:
A boy in Nairobi keeps losing his school shoes to his little brother. A girl in Ouagadougou is determined to buy her own notebook and starts a mini business selling roasted groundnuts. Kids deal with homework, chores, crushes, and sneaking mangoes from the neighbor's tree.

There’s beauty in the everyday. Let’s show it.

Magical Realism / Urban Fantasy

Where magic hides in plain sight

Africa is a continent where the spiritual and physical worlds are often intertwined in daily life. Kids grow up hearing about spirits, dreams, and ancestors, why not explore that through magical realism?

Kids are often naturally adventurous and are always going into places that draw their curiosity and wonder, therefore, through this genre, a lot can be potentially explored, which can help kid characters be seen in their full element of being clumsy and also tie in a lot of cultural beliefs and folklore in a lot of African communities and countries.

This can help African kids to be able to learn a lot more about their culture while also being their natural playful selves as they keep growing in their African society. A good start has been the Iyanu series, which has tied in a playful group of kids, who are in the midst of African folklore.

The exploration of this genre, encourages imagination rooted in cultural beliefs explores big themes like fear, bravery, death, and dreams in gentle, accessible ways and finally, it can reflect both traditional and modern life without choosing one over the other.

Imagine this:
A girl in Lagos who can hear trees whispering secrets. A group of kids discovers that their local football field is actually a gateway to a forgotten world. A talking goat guides a lonely boy to reunite his broken family, but only if he finishes his homework first.

African magic isn’t just mythology, it’s everyday wonder.

Environmental Adventure / Eco-Stories

Defending the land and learning from it

With so much of Africa's culture tied to land, water, animals, and seasons, it’s surprising how few kids’ stories focus on eco-consciousness or environmental fantasy.

The exploration of this genre teaches stewardship of natural resources through adventure, connects indigenous knowledge systems to environmental protection and makes real-world issues (deforestation, pollution, climate change) engaging for young audiences.

Imagine this:
A boy and girl in Madagascar discover animals can speak, and the jungle is shrinking. A team of kids in Senegal starts a mission to clean the beach with help from a shape-shifting sea spirit. A Maasai boy bonds with a lion cub to stop illegal poaching in his reserve.

Nature is a hero and a character, in these stories

Detective / Mystery Solvers

Brains before brawn

Children love puzzles, secrets, and mysteries. It’s a proven format globally (Dora the Explorer, Carmen Sandiego, Sherlock Yack), and what can be more in family entertainment is a ripe African spin.

In this genre, the exploration often builds problem-solving and critical thinking, allows creators to explore different settings, cultures, dialects, and clues and introduces light crime, historical references, or cultural mysteries.

Imagine this:
Two friends in Kampala solve neighborhood mysteries, from missing chickens to a stolen wedding dress. A young girl in Cape Town uncovers a centuries-old secret under her school playground. A teenage coder in Kigali uses tech to crack cases the police can't solve.

Africa has many mysteries, why not let the kids solve them?

Conclusion

Africa has always had stories. For African kids, the stories being told in animation still feel limited, meaning they are either steeped in the past or molded too closely to the West.

These untapped genres offer a challenge and an invitation, which can be:
For creators, to stretch your imagination.

For studios, to take risks.

For parents and educators to support bold, fresh content.

For African kids to learn that, they have minds that are vast, and your stories are worthy.

Let’s animate a new world. One genre at a time. What are some of the ways, you have felt that African animation for kids, need to explore genres? Let us know in the comments.