African Animation Style

I have recently noticed that quite a few Western (re: mostly American) animated stories market themselves as being made in an anime style or at the very least being anime-influenced. And while it is completely normal for artists to be influenced by the work of their peers from all over the world, those descriptors are more layered than they may initially appear.

Anime is the word we (English-speakers) use to describe animation work that is of Japanese origin. In Japan, however, it simply means “animation” regardless of where that animation is from. That being said, it cannot be denied that there are certain stylistic preferences and sensibilities that proliferate Japanese anime and thus make it recognisable. My point is that when something is described as a “Western anime,” we know what to expect. It wasn’t made in Japan, but it will bear Japanese creative sensibilities.

This is interesting because origin and style coalesce in our minds to form an understanding of a particular school of creative animation thought. And with this in mind, one might ask, especially considering this is being posted on the blog of Nsibidi Fables, an African animation production company, what is the African animation style?

What defines it? Is it solely about the country of origin? What then of diasporic animators? Is it about language? That would be hard to pin down, no? So what then? I believe that African animation has yet to be truly defined. There is no rooted industry yet. But when this industry is established, I want to believe that the African animation style would be defined by our shared context: the ontological situation in which art on the continent must exist. The variegated cultures of Africa will each contribute their peculiarities to their own projects, but I believe the uniting position will be borne from our struggle. Our art will speak for us as we speak into it. At Nsibidi Fables, that is what we are trying to achieve. Hopefully, someday in the future, subsequent generations will agree that we fulfilled this promise.