Togolese animation studio aims to put African stories on global screen

Transcript

00:00L.O. Elwes is first and foremost a big fan of animated cartoons, drawn to the fantastic

00:13universe that falls messages into the colorful stories.

00:19What I love most about animated cartoons is the imagination you find in them. That's

00:24the thing, the message they carry. Sometimes the messages are simple, but they are real

00:29messages, captivating ones that teach life lessons. My favorite cartoons are the ones

00:34I just mentioned, Naruto and the Lion King, because I like the messages they convey. Naruto,

00:41for example, is about friendship and determination.

00:44In Lome Togo, a new face is emerging in the world of animated cinema, Aruka Studio. On a

00:53continent where animation is still often seen as a niche field, Aruka is on a mission to tell stories

01:00rooted in Africa, created by Africans, for audiences both at home and around the world.

01:06We created Aruka Studio in Togo, I would say naturally because we are Togolese, that's where

01:13it all started. The idea of building an animation studio also came from the lack of such structures

01:18on the continent, especially on our own country. Our vision from the beginning was to create African

01:24content for Africans, those on the continent, those in the diaspora, but also for anyone else

01:30who wants to discover our stories.

01:31At Aruka Studio, ambition runs high, but reality sets the limits. A 90-minute feature often requires

01:43hundreds of people, two years of work and powerful equipment. Here, the team is small, resources are

01:50limited, but the determination is unwavering. Two years ago, we were 30. Today, we are 13, seven senior

02:00artists and six young trainees. We are still growing step-by-step.

02:09From myths to contemporary tales, the studio seeks to create narratives that resonate with young

02:15Africans and audiences abroad.

02:18My personal dream for my country is to stay here and fully develop animation to the point where we can

02:24compete with the global giants because right now there is almost no African content on screen,

02:30and if we don't create it ourselves, there will simply be nothing to see of Africa.

02:37Animation is not just art or business. It's a tool for representation, giving young Africans characters they

02:44can identify with and worlds they can recognize. With a young tech-serving-connected youth eager for

02:52regional content, local audiences are ready for African animation.

02:57Yes, there are challenges, but there's also talent, demand and, above all, endless stories to tell.

03:05I'm sure the future will be bright if we keep working hard and investing in our craft. For me,

03:11bringing an African character to life means giving young Africans something they can relate to.

03:17In most foreign productions, black characters are rarely portrayed in a way that truly reflects who we

03:23are. That's why representation matters.

03:26African animation is only at the beginning of its journey,

03:31but studios like Aruka show that the continent can tell its own stories, create its own characters,

03:38and invite the world to dream in African images.