Sharjah24: Three luminaries of African animation, Raymond Malinga, CEO of Creatures Animation; Hamid Ibrahim, CEO and Co-founder of Kugali Media; and Vanessa Sinden, Senior Producer at Triggerfish Animation, have offered unique insights into the burgeoning yet often untapped opportunities and unrecognised talents in animation across the continent of Africa.

They came together to lead an enlightening discussion at the ongoing 2nd Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), on Saturday, during which the audience learned about the rapidly expanding animation industry in Africa.    

Championing African narratives

Triggerfish Animation, celebrating its 28th year in the industry, with studios in South Africa and Ireland, has been at the forefront of championing African narratives and amplifying diverse voices. Vanessa Sinden, a senior producer at the studio, spoke passionately about Triggerfish's multifaceted approach to nurturing the animation ecosystem in Africa.

“Our studio has had to shape an industry, and we've done that through initiatives like our online academy, offering free courses from primary school to professional level, as well as bursaries and accelerator programmes to help talent find their feet in the industry,” Sinden explained. 

With projects like the Netflix featured “Supa Team 4,” an animated series featuring an all-female writers team, and “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” a sci-fi anthology series on Disney+ showcasing Afrofuturistic stories from the continent, Triggerfish is redefining the global perception of African animation and paving the way for a new era of storytelling that champions diverse voices and resonates with audiences worldwide.


The audacity to dream

"Why not us?" was the question that guided Malinga’s entry into the industry. Raymond, who started small with his brother and leads a successful animation studio today, encouraged his audience to: “Have the audacity to dream”. 

“The animation industry was almost non-existent when we started, but we had the courage to pursue our vision and open the doors for the next generation. Africa is now!” he further noted. 

The animated short “A Kalabanda Ate my Homework”, which highlights the richness of the continent’s storytelling traditions, put his studio Creatures Animation on the map, serving as a springboard for its recognition and success. “Herder Boy,” part of Disney’s “Kizazi Moto” anthology series, is another feather in the studio’s hat. 

Vast untapped talent in Africa

UK based Ugandan, Hamid Ibrahim, the visionary behind Kugali Media, which started as a comic book publisher, shared the inspiring story of his company’s unprecedented collaboration with Walt Disney Studios to co-produce sci-fi animated series “Iwájú.”

Ibrahim spoke about the need for African talents as well as stories to rise to prominence globally. “Over a billion people on the continent, and tell me two African stories in film or animation that most people can recognise,” he challenged. “I want to see African stories rising to the top in the world, and we have so much talent to share. If you do something slightly different, you will get there. The next big companies are getting formed today, and if you try to imitate what is out there already, you will not get noticed. It's important to be original and set your own trends.”