ShrinkFish Animation win a host of awards!

The Nigerian Animation company ShrinkFish Animation is becoming quite a name in festival circuits. Screening and winning a long list of awards for its most recent animation The Essence.
Shrinkfish studios on Vimeo.

Aguilar de Campoo Short Film Festival, Spain - 2010

Capalbio Cinema International, Rome - 2010

Africa in Motion (AiM) UK - 2010

Silicon Valley African Film Festival, California - .2010

ANIMAFRIK Animation Festival, Accra Ghana - 2010


The Essence from shrinkfish on Vimeo.

It is definitely worth a watch and keeping an eye out for any future work. Animator Ebele Okoye has been creating some exciting work and collaborating across continents. You can read all about her work on the ShrinkFish website

groovy Bhovas and Sam from South Africa

for all about the dynamic duo :) go to Bhovas and Sam

mike scott and more bruandboegie

check out the link to south african mike scott's blog including lots of great cartoons and animations
www.bruandboegie.co.za

Goldfish - Fort Knox from Bru Boegie on Vimeo.

William Kentridge: Anything is Possible

"William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible," a new hour-long film from the producers of the Peabody-Award winning "Art in the Twenty-First Century" television series. The film gives viewers an intimate look into the mind and creative process of William Kentridge, the South African artist whose acclaimed work has made him one of the most dynamic and exciting contemporary artists working today.

"William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" premieres October 21, 2010 at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).

Teaser #3 | "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" (2010) | Art21 from Art21 on Vimeo.

XYZ Vibes in South Africa with Zapiro and ZA News

Working with the Zapiro Crew, in the style of the XYZ shows, this new controversial music video  "Chicken to Change" from Freshlyground never made it to mainstream media... but is circulating on the interweb instead.



Watch all the episodes on ZANEWS Tv's Youtube Channel

Bino and Fino Launch their first Episode

Although this will happen on the Bino Fino Facebook Page, I am sure that it will make its way on to YouTube in no time. In the meantime here is what they have to say about the new episode

"It’s finally here! The online premier of Africa’s latest children’s cartoon, Bino and Fino, is happening this Thursday 1:00pm Abuja, Nigeria time. This episode is all about you. Many of you have said you wanted to see more of Bino and fino so you and your children could get to know them better before the DVD c...omes out. Here’s your chance and there’re fewer better place than here on Facebook to let us know what you think.

This episode focuses on the idea of 2010 being an important year in Africa’s history as many countries are celebrating their 50th year of independence from colonial rule. To be honest this, subject matter is a bit heavier than those that will be handled in the episodes on the DVD. We just saw a rare opportunity to address an important historic African event in a children’s cartoon format. It’s definitely not a topic Disney would handle! That’s the beauty of being able to tell one’s own stories."

more Bino and Fino - good news for Nigerian Animation!

The animated series in production Bino and Fino recently received a positive review on the MTVBlog.

Another positive note is the release on DVD in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, English and French, suitably available for both a local and foreign audience.



YOu can join the FACEBOOK BinoFino group too!

more bloggers blogging african animation...

check out Munashe Gumbonzvande AKA SlyBeaver's blog on African Visual Arts, featuring interviews with Kwame Nyongo and JAB from Kenya. Another welcome addition to the pool of African animation news!

http://www.slybeaver.com/

William Kentridge on CNN

Apologies CNN has removed these videos from its site. Instead you can view some more about Kentridge on VIMEO: Watch out for his new film release due to be out on the 21st Oct

Trailer #1 | "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" (2010) | Art21 from Art21 on Vimeo.

Thinking with Hands | "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" (2010) Preview | Art21 from Art21 on Vimeo.

KUWENI SERIOUS

Activism : Fighting Apathy in Kenya - Blog wisdom from Nairobi... narrated by Blinky Bill from JAB

AFIFF: Africa Unite

Meet Bino and Fino from Nigeria

Amongst a host of other animated contributions from EVCL, Abuja Nigeria...we can eagerly await the launch of Bino and Fino, Nigeria's answer to Charlie and Lola! You can read all about the project on the EVCL blog

shrinkfish in Abuja

interesting find: I just came across another addition to the animation scene in Abuja, Nigeria -Shrinkfish - you can check out their showreel and more info at
SHRINKFISH

More from Ezra Wube

To read more about Ezra Wube's installation work in New York see Rochana Rapkin's article "An Artist's Journey" at The Local (in collaboration with the New York Times).

Ghana's Animationafrica Program 2010

Between July the 26th and August 22nd, Animafrik will be hosting and running a series of workshops, screenings and animation conferences in Accra, Ghana.Whilst the website does not provide any detailed program, you can contact the organiser, Mr Samuel Quartey for any further questions.

ANIMATION AFRICA
NO.5 2ND ANOWA LINK, TESANO, ACCRA
P.O. BOX KN 150
KANESHIE, ACCRA
TEL: (233) 021 254130, 24-3236543, 24-3987224
24-4738681, 24-3873737

The brief program outline can be found on this link: ANIMAFRIK

XYZ causing a stir... ;)

read all about it on the TIMESONLINE article "Satirist behind Kenyan Spitting Image out to make the powerful squirm again"

Comments and replies from Alex Drummer regarding tinga tinga

Whilst the focus of this blog is merely to report my findings on the web, and point to them. I wish to point out that the comments and replies to the blog are not published immediately, as they need to be filtered to avoid spam. With this in mind, although I have published Alex Drummer's replies to the posting on "Tinga Tinga gets bad press", it seems Mr Drummer has not seen these published, as well as the further posting dated 12th April. Therefore to avoid this I am AGAIN publishing Alex Drummer's comments and replies to this posting as a seperate post, hoping that it is now absolutely clear to Alex Drummer and the reader that the posting "Tinga Tinga gets Bad Press" includes the following information as part of the larger debate on this issue:

Dear Paula, the story of Tania Bale was not her own but an untested press release from Daniel Augusta. Mr Augusta is the Manager of the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society (TACS) in Dar-es-Salaam/Tanzania. This organization spreads knowingly wrong information about the term "Tinga Tinga". Finally, the TACS claimed that "Tinga Tinga is part of national identity, a national asset, a symbol for Tanzania as a national flag". This is complete garbage. More infomation you can find in my article „Tinga Tinga“ – the Great Error. The article shows that the aim of this artist group is the wrong way and will not help to support the Tingatinga Art in the future. The full text is:

It is not very often that a new trend in art gets the name of only one person. So this is a special tribute to Eduardo Saidi Tingatinga who was the founder of the East African Tingatinga style in the early 1970s in Dar es Salaam. In the next decades till today paintings in the typical colourful style called „Tingatinga Art“ became well known through exhibitions and books world-wide. In contrast to this the term "Tinga Tinga" was not an East African brand at any time. The contrary assertion is wrong. The name "Tinga Tinga" never has played a role also in the international art-scene. No serious art expert use this. The only correct name is the term Tingatinga (for art, paintings etc.).
Currently only the word combination "Tinga Tinga Tales" is a registered trademark in some countries and belongs to the company Tiger Aspect Production from UK. The background of this is of interest. Some just stupid and greedy people of the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society (TACS) in Dar es Salaam/Tanzania sold to this company the usufruct of the words "Tinga Tinga". That therefore is remarkable because the TACS neither was and is the owner of the right of this term and also only a few Tingatinga artists are represented by the TACS. But exactly this organization, that arranged a bad contract without consultation of experts, now spreads the fairytale of the "sale of Tanzanian cultural heritage". What is the truth? No East African artist will get any problems to use the correct and long time introduced term "Tingatinga" for his art style, for paintings, for books etc. No artist should use "Tinga Tinga". It harms himself and creates confusion. The TACS finally should stop to require and to use the term "Tinga Tinga" for itself. No artist should hope that the running TV series "Tinga Tinga Tales" causes positive for the Tingatinga art. This TV production and the entire merchandising around happens on a market, on which African art-styles and artists don't have anything to win. It is nonsense to suggest African artists can find "honey and money" in the childish "Disney World" which is made believe us by unscrupulous businessmen. But it would not be surprising, if in one or two years the whole hype about "Tinga Tinga Tales" is over (end of article text).

PS: The very last information is that the TACS now will feed expensive lawyers with the money of their members among other things to register the "Tinga Tinga" trademark (!). They didn't understand, that it is too late for it and they will lose. But the damage for the Tingatinga Art will be big.

Alex Drummer

18/04/10

Dear Paula, now to truth is coming step by step. And the truth is bad and shocking. It is a swamp of crime.

Mr. Augusta (Manager TACS) now had to publish the following correction because of my article: "There were three versions of the contract: English, Swahili and Swahili-English which were signed by Mbwana Sudi (The Chairman), Agnes Mpata (Wittness) and Saidi Omary (The Vice Chairman) on TACS side and Claudia Lloyd from Tiger Aspect Production. Claudia Lloyed gave to the painters enough time to read properly the contract, she has recommended the painters to get help from a lawyer to fully understand the implications of the contract. She had always a translator to help her in communication with the painters. But the painters did not seek any legal help. Despite that the contract was in their native language, it was distributed to all in the leadership and they had more 1.5 day to finally reconsider the agreement they later claimed that they did not understand the implication of the contract. They had gone so far as to claim that there was only the English version. A payment of ca $24.000 divided in 4 installments was part of the contract. The first payment of ca $6000 was paid on table in the presence of the few painters who have been at the leadership of TACS. Paying cash on the table was explicit wish of the painters. After the payment the leadeship pocketed the money, hide the contract, did not tell anything to the members of the Coperative. As a result, there was almost zero Tinga Tinga community participation on the Tiger Aspect´s animations. At the time of launching the films, not more than 10 painters out of 100 (at TACS) were aware of any contract."

I ask myself: What is coming next? Even more bad news and lies or reason and insight? How will ever repair the TACS the damage for the Tingatinga Art and the artists?

Alex Drummer

4/18/2010 12:19 AM

I hope that this posting satisfies Mr Drummer concerns. 

A difference of opinions... tinga tinga

The debate on the Tinga Tinga Tales series, has continued with differing opinions see Educating Alice's entry with the comments below/ Learning about Africa; Tinga Tinga Tales
With regards to africananimation recent posting on Tinga Tinga gets bad press , a reply by Alex Drummer has been published in the comments section. Included here find a link to Alex Drummer's own article on this matter
„Tinga Tinga" – The Great Error

more Makmende... the world just can't get enough!

Makmende musings in the blogosphere.....

I'm thrilled by all the recent hype that the Makmende phenomenon has generated.... but what is more interesting is the blog postings that are appearing all over the place discussing whether this is the first african meme that has caused such as stir. In particular I loved Ethan Zuckerman's observations and article,
Makmende's so HUGE he can't fit on Wikipedia

This article is definitely worth a read...