African Animation for Children

Sat 1 Nov at 11.00am

1h15m | DVD | Various languages with English subtitles | All ages welcome!

This programme of animations for an audience of children presents a collection of works from various African countries that are both entertaining and at times educational in their scope. The content differs greatly from its European counterpart, presenting images that reflect the identities of African children and the environment they live in. The animations here draw from the imagery and symbolism of the respective countries, as well as their own myths and fables.

The subtitles will be read out by a narrator for younger audience members.

Highlights from the line-up include:

AFRICA ANIMATED! Collection

Despite efforts by broadcasters and the audiovisual community in Africa, children's programmes in Africa are mostly imported from the West, and tend to bear little relevance to the everyday lives of children on the African continent. In order to address this issue in 2004 UNESCO launched Africa Animated!, an initiative that assembles resources and expertise for the production of children's animated cartoons in Africa. The animations were conceived by local artists and aimed to entertain and educate a regional audience of children on a five-week production residency. For this reason, most animations do not have dialogue and attempt to address issues that are relevant to a young African audience while presenting images that stem from artistic practices that reflect an African aesthetic.

The Toad who Visits his In-laws (Le Crapaud Chez Ses Beaux Parents)

Animated by: JM Kibushi, DRC

This animation stems from an oral tale recounted by the Tetela in the Sankuru, DRC, the hometown of Kibushi. Having grown up to these and other tales, Kibushi recorded local storytellers' account of The Toad who Visits his In-laws. This story explains how it came to be that the Fox ate the Chicken, the Chicken ate the Termite, the Termite ate the Stick, the Stick ate the Toad, and so on. Based on a repetitive narrative structure, and using the technique of cut-out animation, this charming animation is a joy to watch.

Owen and Mzee

Animated by: Kwame Nyongo, Alan Mwaniki and Alfred Muchilwa, Kenya

Inspired by the tragic story of the orphaned baby hippo Owen who was washed ashore by the Tsunami on the East Africa coast, these musical shorts present the unlikely friendship between Owen and Mzee, a hundred year old tortoise. These Kenyan animations show a simple but evocative African landscape using a digital cutout style animated to East African musical soundtracks.

The screenings of animation shorts for children will be followed by an animation workshop in the Filmhouse Guild Room from 2.00pm-5.00pm.