While there was much controversy surrounding Ryan Coogler's
Black Panther, no one can deny that the film surpassed everyone's expectations, and that it helped do wonders for representation, not only in film, but in all forms of media. The media buzz surrounding the film and the profits garnered have effected a lot of film and television studios' choices in casting and in slotting their projects, which many would argue has been long-awaited and for the better. Cartoon Network and Gulli are two examples channels that are doubling down on providing African Animation.
Cartoon Network has upped its stake in the continent's animation industry with the launch of the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab, which is being described as an initiative designed to bring innovative, short-form African content to the channel and its digital platforms. Meanwhile, the Lagardere-owned network, Gulli, announced at Annecy today that that it has pre-purchased "
L'abre a Palimpseste" (
The Tree of Palimpsest), for the Gulli Africa Network.
L'abre a Palimpseste is an animated TV series by Togo's Ingrid Agbo.
For many years Africa has been seen as the last frontier for global animation, with many arguing that the landscape would be a wonderful opportunity, both in respect to audiences and prospective talent to bring on board for future projects.
Palimpsest is taking part in the Animation du Monde pitch sessions in Annecy this week, which follows a story-telling grandmother who is called upon to settle conflicts between kids in her village. It will join a line-up of local content on Gulli Africa that includes
Ubongo Kids, by Tanzania's Ubongo;
Tinga Tinga Tales, by Kenya's Homeboyz Animation;
Jabu's Jungle, by South Africa's Pixcomm; and
Supa Strika, by South Africa's Strika Entertainment. Caroline Mestic, Gulli's head of programming, praised the series with several comments.
"(Palimpsest) immerses children in their own story by presenting them with great African figures. It is very important for Gulli Africa to initiate different projects with local producers. She also stressed the need to develop "series that reflect the values of the Gulli brand (open-mindedness and tolerance) and that are directed especially at African kids. We think African kids will sincerely appreciate this program, (Palimpsest), which relates the lives of men and women who shaped Africa, such as the Queen Sheba or the Moshoeshoe sage."
Cartoon Network Africa will also be launching an ambitious new pan-African contest in it's commmitment to the bolstering local toon landscape. They ask for submissions of animated shorts from across the continent. Ten projects will be short-listed in Sptember, and the creators will have the chance to putch their projects to Cartoon Network Africa's programming team. There will be a winner and two runner-ups, all of whom shall be announced at Discop in Johannesburg in November. They will also have an opportunity to have a pilot of their projects produced by Cartoon Network Africa, to be broadcast across TV and digital platforms in 2019. Ariane Suveg, the head of progrmming and acquisitions for Turner Kid's Channels in Africa had the following comment.
"This just reinforces our need to invest in local content, and our commitment to further mentoring talent in the African animation industry."
What are your thoughts on the recent ambitions in Africa as far as animation goes? Let us know in the comments section!