GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY FOR KENYA

Animation is an industry that has been dominated by the West. The concept is relatively new in Africa, but last year nine animation films from Kenya were screened at the prestigious Africa in Motion (AiM) festival held from 23 October - 2 November 2008 in Edinburgh, UK. However, the effect of this exposure  is yet to be felt back in Kenya.


Since the year 2000 to date, hundreds of professional animators in Kenya have been undergone extensive training but not much can been seen from them. Benjamin Waithaka, one of the most experienced professional 3D animators and a tutor at an animation College in Nairobi is careful to point out that the industry is not fully fledged.

At a recent launch of an animation awareness campaign dubbed Vibonzo Kochokocho, Benjamin was pleased with the progress so far and urged other animators to step up their efforts and make the industry a success story. “With the birth of Digital signage, animators will get a demanding market for their graphic services not to mention digital content for TV,” he said.

“Creativity, discipline and professionalism are the missing ingredients most animators need to combine their diverse talents. Many animators have the talent and knowledge but they do not know how to convert that into a means of earning a living,” says Benjamin.

Benjamin was also keen to point out that the recent move by Disney Walt to award an animating contract to Homeboyz Entertainment was an initiative to grow talent within the country. He urges the Kenyan animators to grasp this opportunity and use it as a stepping-stone to greater heights. “There is no proper system to nature and grow the industry, we should have an animation curriculum that will introduce the course at tertiary learning institutions,” added Benjamin. According to Benjamin, his love for creativity at an early age was nurtured through his effort to construct toy cars from locally available materials such as used oil cans. This helped him develop a sixth sense of visualisation.

The launch was concluded with a screening of the best portfolio the Kenyan animation industry has to offer. One is left to wonder whether the industry will hold together to reach full maturity. Perhaps this is based on how effective the Vibonzo Kochokocho campaign be.

Article by David Muthama