SAC provides animators platform to showcase their success
Moderated by Paris-based cultural strategist Mounia Aram, the panel hosted Nigerian powerhouse Damilola Solesi, Ghanaian-British disruptor Comfort Arthur, and Kenya-based storyteller Sarah Mallia, all ready to challenge the industry's status quo. From Lagos to Nairobi, London to Accra, their origin stories spoke of resilience, cultural reclamation, and unapologetic ambition, proving that animation is far more than moving images and is about moving perceptions.
Channeling your own inner strength
Sarah Mallia, co-founder of Nairobi-based Pungulu Pa Productions and Freehand Movement, shared an unconventional path. A communications specialist for charities and UN agencies, she spent years commissioning animations for social causes. 'I saw how storytelling could drive change, but I wanted to create those stories,' she said. Partnering with her husband, a comic artist and animator, she launched her studio, blending her advocacy background with his creative expertise.
Mallia spoke about collaboration as key to dismantling industry barriers, but women need to trust in their own strength too. 'Women don't have to choose between career and family; and it's important that we get our perspectives out into the world,' she said, highlighting her studio's focus on indigenous storytelling and environmental themes. Mallia's flagship project, Uli & Tata's African Nursery Rhymes, is a 2D animated series following siblings who rediscover Africa's disappearing nursery rhymes. The show blends entertainment with education, preserving oral traditions through lively and textured animation 'We have been proud to create beautifully illustrated comics and animations, turning complex ideas and issues into engaging stories that celebrate our cultures.'
Taking the initiative and forging a self-made journey
Nigerian animator Damilola Solesi, founder of Smids Animation Studios Ltd, opened with a nostalgic reflection on her childhood love for gaming and cartoons. Her 'lightbulb moment' came during a screening of Toy Story: 'I stayed until the credits rolled and realised hundreds of people brought that magic to life. I knew I wanted to be part of that world,' she recalled. Despite parental pressure to pursue computer science, Solesi secretly honed her skills in 3D character design through YouTube tutorials. 'The internet became my classroom,' she laughed.
Her path to founding Smids Animation Studios was fraught with skepticism. 'People dismissed me for being young and a woman in a male-dominated field,' she shared. Yet her persistence paid off, with her studio now producing award-winning content that blends African storytelling with cutting-edge animation. 'Every 'no' fueled my determination to prove that talent has no gender,' she asserted.
Bridging cultures and defying expectations
Ghanaian-British animator Comfort Arthur, founder of Comfy Studio, recounted her struggle to reconcile her artistic passions with societal expectations. Born in the UK to Ghanaian parents, she faced pressure to pursue 'safe' careers like medicine or engineering. 'Art was seen as a hobby, not a livelihood,' she said. After following her passion regardless, and earning a degree in art, Arthur hit a wall, and struggled to find employment in her field.
An opportunity arose when she relocated to Ghana for an editing role, even though she had no prior experience, and with a rough start, her manager noticed she had a strong talent in storytelling. After gaining some experience and learning about the ins and outs of producing content for television, she decided to take the plunge and founded Comfy Studio, creating animated productions that tackled social issues like mental health and identity. 'In Ghana, I found my voice,' she explained. 'Animation became my tool to challenge stereotypes; both cultural and gendered.' Her work, including the acclaimed short 'The Peculiar Life of a Spider Girl', and the impactful 'Black Barbie' which challenged the concept of skin bleaching and colourism, her powerful work and storytelling has since sparked global conversations.
Running from May 1 to 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the conference features an expansive programme with over 35 workshops, 16 panel discussions, and four world-class concerts, welcoming 74 leading figures from the animation sector representing 18 countries. For more information visit https://www.sharjahanimation.com/.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Rhinestones, cowboy boots: How to dress perfectly for a concert
In the last year, my most memorable evenings have been spent wearing — in no particular order — an exact replica of Taylor Swift's Lover rhinestone bodysuit (with matching boots), a red tie and combat jeans in homage to Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong, a tartan corset à la Gwen Stefani in her Galliano era, and a lilac top scattered with crystals to symbolise Coldplay's A Sky Full of Stars, all while listening to my favourite artistes play live. Basic band T-shirt for a concert I've spent all day in a Ticketmaster queue for? No siree. Whether at Swift's tour in London, Coldplay and Stefani in Abu Dhabi, or Green Day in Dubai, delving into the canon of an artiste and devising an outfit in homage elevates my concert-going experience exponentially, immersing me in the fandom through fashion. Judging by the sea of sequins at Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour — the proceeds of which recently enabled her to buy back the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums for a nine-figure sum — I'm not alone. This weekend, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour rolls into Europe for nine shows in London and Paris, the tour's only non-US dates and the closest opportunity for UAE-based members of the Beyhive to see the 40-song extravaganza, her first since 2023's Renaissance. Paying homage to Black pioneers of country music, the three-hour show features up to nine custom costumes designed by the likes of Roberto Cavalli, Mugler, Burberry, Loewe, Dolce & Gabbana, and Moschino. Chaps! Fringe! Star Spangled Banners! Gold leather! Denim on denim on denim! And all the crystals that Swarovski can wrangle. As concert-goers, there are a wealth of western-inspired styles to draw from. Most obviously, a cowboy hat. The baller move is Miu Miu's contemporary drill style (Dh2,380) or Vuitton's LV Vers with gold hardware (Dh4,300). At the other end of the corporeal scale, cowboy boots. There are plenty out there; I'd advise a soft suede or worn-in leather (three hours of dancing is no mean feat for the feet) and a low heel, leave the sky-high fringed Louboutins for Bey. Golden Goose's Wish Star line of boots fall on the fashion side of fancy dress, which is what we're aiming for. Assuming that Bey's backless chaps are a tribute act too far, your next best choice for the bottom half of your outfit is a pair of classic Levi's 501s. Beyoncé's been the face of the denim firm's 'Live In' collection since September 2024, and paid the ultimate tribute to a brand that supported her in the early days of Destiny's Child by recording a track called Levii's Jeans with Post Malone for the Cowboy Carter album. Another benefit of wearing jeans is, prosaically, pockets. Phone, hotel room key, pac-a-mac, stash them in a pocket and leave your hands free for the Single Ladies moves. Save the fashion statement for your top half: leather, fringing, rhinestones, bandana prints, it's all on the table. The Attico has a rhinestone-detailed white vest that recalls Bey's iconic Crazy in Love look (currently reduced to Dh1,320 at Ounass), or channel the singer's Y2K bandana scarf top with a 2025 version by Marant Etoile (Dh865). With 35 wins, Beyoncé is the most decorated artiste in all of Grammy Awards history. Given the endless supply of western lore fans have to draw from, I wouldn't be surprised if Cowboy Carter tour-goers take home the gong for most decorated audience.
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
Evaristo wins accolades for breaking literary boundaries
Bernardine Evaristo doesn't like boundaries. For the Booker Prize-winning novelist, rules about genre, grammar or what a working-class biracial woman can achieve are all to be challenged and swept away. Evaristo was announced on Wednesday as recipient of the 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award for her 'transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices.' Evaristo, 66, received the prize both for her work to help promote women and writers of colour, and for writing that takes in poetry, a memoir and seven novels including the Booker-winning 'Girl, Woman, Other.' 'I just go wherever my imagination takes me,' she said. 'I didn't want to write the kind of novels that would take you on a predictable emotional or moral journey.' Evaristo had already explored autobiographical fiction, historical settings and alternate realities when she won the Booker in 2019 for 'Girl Woman, Other,' a polyphonic novel told from the point of view of a dozen characters, largely Black women, with widely varying ages, experiences and sexualities. She was the first woman of African heritage to be awarded the prize, which was founded in 1969 and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. When she won, Evaristo was 60 and had been a writer for decades. She says the recognition 'came at the right time for me.' 'Maybe I wouldn't have handled it so well if I was younger,' she told The Associated Press at her London home. 'It changed my career — in terms of book sales, foreign rights, translation, the way in which I was viewed as a writer. Various other opportunities came my way. And I felt that I had the foundations to handle that.' Evaristo's house on a quiet suburban street is bright and comfortable, with wooden floors, vibrant textiles and a large wooden writing desk by the front window. Large photos of her Nigerian paternal grandparents hang on one wall. Her work often draws on her roots as the London-born child of a Nigerian father and white British mother. Like much of Evaristo's work, 'Girl, Woman, Other' eludes classification. She calls it 'fusion fiction' for its melding of poetry and prose into a novel that relishes the texture and rhythm of language. 'I kind of dispense with the rules of grammar,' she said. 'I think I have 12 full stops in the novel.' If that sounds dauntingly experimental, readers didn't think so. 'Girl, Woman, Other' has sold more than 1 million copies and was chosen as one of Barack Obama's books of the year. Evaristo traces her love of poetry to the church services of her Catholic childhood, where she soaked up the rhythms of the Bible and sermons, 'without realizing I was absorbing poetry.' When she started writing novels, the love of poetry remained, along with a desire to tell stories of the African diaspora. One of her first major successes, 'The Emperor's Babe,' is a verse novel set in Roman Britain. 'Most people think the Black history of Britain only began in the 20th century,' Evaristo said. 'I wanted to write about a Black presence in Roman Britain — because there was a Black presence in Roman Britain 1,800 years ago.' Another novel, 'Blonde Roots,' is set in an alternative historical timeline in which Africans have enslaved Europeans, and was nominated for a major science-fiction award. 'Mr Loverman,' was an attempt to move beyond cliched images of Britain's postwar Caribbean immigrants. It was recently made into a BBC television series starring Lennie James and Sharon D. Clarke. Her latest award is a one-off accolade marking the 30th anniversary of the annual Women's Prizes for English-language fiction and nonfiction. Women's Prize founder Kate Mosse said Evaristo's 'dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a 40-year career made her the ideal recipient.' Evaristo, who teaches creative writing at Brunel University of London, plans to use the prize money to help other women writers through an as-yet undisclosed project. She has long been involved with projects to level the playing field for under-represented writers, and is especially proud of Complete Works, a mentoring program for poets of color that she ran for a decade. Associated Press
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
French Open: Sabalenka dethrones four-times champion Swiatek
World number one Aryna Sabalenka battled past four-times champion Iga Swiatek to reach her first French Open final on Thursday with a 7-6(1) 4-6 6-0 victory that ended the Pole's reign in Paris and snapped her 26-game winning streak in the tournament. The Belarusian's power proved too much for the defending champion, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris. Swiatek had won the previous three editions along with her maiden crown in 2020 The top seed will now play second-seeded American Coco Gauff who beat France's Lois Boisson, the first player in the Open Era to reach this stage of the French Open as a wildcard, 6-1 6-2. "Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I'm just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere," Sabalenka said. "She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match it was a tricky match but I managed." Sabalenka, playing her second French open semifinal and seeking her first title in Paris, powered into a 3-0 lead, twice breaking the Pole. She kept attacking her opponent's serve with Swiatek winning just 35% of her points on her second serve. Swiatek, who late last year accepted a one-month doping ban and came into the tournament without a single title win this season, had reached the semifinals dropping just one set in five matches. But she looked completely out of sorts. With seven unforced errors in the first three games she was playing catchup from the start. The Pole, struggled with her serve and had racked up two double faults by the fifth game. She gradually, however, found her range and precision, countering Sabalenka's raw power with superb ball placement and levelled when her opponent double-faulted on break point. The Belarusian was furious, angrily shouting to her team in the box, before overrunning her opponent in the tiebreak. The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set before Swiatek earned another to level the match. But Sabalenka was not to be denied, breaking the 24-year-old world number five at the start of the third to take control. "I think the pace from her was super fast," Swiatek said. "Especially at the beginning of the match, she played just kind of as hard as possible and pretty risky. So it was just hard to get into any rally." "In the third set I feel like we kind of came back to what happened in the first, and she for sure used her chances, and I didn't really keep up what I was doing in the second set." Sabalenka gave her opponent no chance with her thunderous groundstrokes, powering through the decider as Swiatek ran out of steam. "It could not be more perfect than that," Sabalenka said of her third-set performance. "I'm super proud right now, I'm glad I found my serve (again in the third set)."
