Startups

Ugandan animator teams up with Nigerian writers to take on Disney

Kugali Media

A Ugandan professional animator named Hamid Ibrahim is collaborating with two Nigerian writers (Ziki Nelson and Tolu Foyeh) to document African stories through their company called Kugali Media.

The trio is based in London.

Founded in 2017, Kugali Media has already written and produced comic content based on folk stories from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya.

These stories are told in books and animations. They’ve also leveraged the latest technologies like Augmented Reality, XR, AR, 3D to create material that’s attracted both the young and old audiences.

In a recent interview with BBC TV, the trio told the British broadcaster that they’re “going to kick Disney’s ass in Africa!”

Recently, Kugali Media released a 200-paged Pan-African comic anthology featuring content from fifteen writers from across Africa.

Speaking to BBC, Ziki Nelson said that for the past several years, science fiction genre has not given enough space to black actors, which sort of came across as if there were no blacks in the future.

At Kugali Media, they want to ensure that Africa is also represented in futuristic storytelling.

Their books and videos are available on their website and the video below explains how you can get their content.

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The group has ventured into the industry when African-based storytelling is increasingly attracting global attention.

In 2018, we saw a Ugandan author named Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi win Shs600 million Windham-Campbell Prize for her book Kintu.

In Kintu, Makumbi combines Ugandan folklore and mythology with biblical legends to deliver an astounding story.

Wakanda, a Marvel Comics-produced motion picture about a fictional Sub-Saharan Africa country, also garnered massive reception in 2018.

Kugali Media has already raised US$25000 through crowdfunding from across the globe.

Related:

African startups attracted record funding in 2018 – report

Co-Creation Hub set to open unit in Rwanda

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