Kenyan comic series to hit screens worldwide

By Joe Kiarie

Do you know why monkeys live on top of trees, why lions roar and why hyenas limp? And can you guess why a cheetah’s cheeks are stained?

To most African adults, the answers to these puzzles were freely provided in the numerous traditional folktales.

But the tales are no more and children are coming up with ideas on how these animals developed their peculiar traits.

But they should not crack their brains anymore, as the fascinating stories will soon make a grand comeback courtesy of Tinga Tinga Tales.

This is an upcoming 52-part children’s series based on African folktales targeting children aged between four and six. The series is notably worked on right here in Kenya.

Children’s favourite

Tinga Tinga Tales is an animated kids series based on a rare African art style. The 52x11mins series is a brainchild of Tiger Aspect’s head of animation and kids Claudia Lloyd, following a number of visits to Africa as a result of her involvement in charity Comic Relief.

Claudia is also the brain behind children’s TV favourite Charlie and Lola.

The animated feature was commissioned by the BBC for its CBeebies channel in the UK, and by Disney for its Playhouse channel in the US.

Named after the Tinga Tinga art from Tanzania, the series is expected to be released late this year.

Tiger Aspect has, in collaboration with Homeboyz Entertainment, already set up an animation studio along Baricho Road in Nairobi, with local designers, writers and musicians, such as Kwame Nyong’o, working on the show.

The project hopes to bring East African animators and digital artists to the forefront.

The show is being distributed by Classic Media, the company formerly known as Entertainment Rights after it debuted at Cartoon Forum in Spain two years ago.

The series is set to offer a mixture of African colours, textures and music, borrowing heavily from the magnificent work of Tinga Tinga art of Tanzania.

All images in the series are hand-painted by local artists and then computer-animated to enhance the visual experience and offer something new to young audiences around the world.

Claudia has promised "wonderful African animal stories, with great characters, songs and visuals".

She notes: "Children in Singapore, San Diego, Sierra Leone or Sydenham will love it."

Michael Carrington, the head of CBeebies, recently told the BBC: "We’re sure British children will love these African stories, inspired by rich indigenous artwork."

The market for children’s programming in the UK has come under pressure as ITV has axed its traditional afternoon slot. But the rewards for producers who develop a global hit, particularly one aimed at younger audiences, can be huge. Some 50 per cent of Tiger Aspect’s profits will be used in educating kids in Africa.