“Iwájú” is an animated coming-of-age story set in a futuristic Lagos, featuring Tola (right) and her best friend Kole (center), voiced by Nigerian actors Simisola Gbadamosi and Siji Soetan. Walt Disney StudiosLagos, NigeriaCNN —
After nearly five years of tireless work, the animation team at Kugali Media is finally seeing its comic book series “Iwájú” come to life in a big way – and now audiences around the world can join in.
The animated series is a coming-of-age story set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria. The show was picked up by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2020, which called it a “first-of-its-kind collaboration” with the pan-African entertainment company. All six episodes are now available to stream on Disney+.
Hamid Ibrahim, CEO of Kugali, co-founded the company in 2017 with two friends, Tolu Olowofoyeku and Olufikayo “Ziki” Adeola. He says the team began working on “Iwájú” two years later as part of the company’s mission to share “high quality African stories with the world.”
Ibrahim told CNN that having Disney pick up their show and offer it on its streaming platform is, “definitive proof it can be done, and it has been done. And that’s a very, very sweet feeling.”
“My hope is that people get to experience an authentic version of Lagos, but also have fun because this is a sci-fi story that’s futuristic. So, I want them to have fun and lose themselves,” Adeola told CNN at the world premiere in Lagos on Tuesday.
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Embracing the “soul of Lagos”
Ibrahim says Africa is at the heart of every story Kugali tells. But with so many countries and cultures, they strive be intentional with their storytelling.
“We’re telling an African story, but a lot of viewers do not understand African culture,” he said. “Hopefully (by watching) they get to understand it better.”
“Iwájú” is brought to life through Nigerian voice actors Simisola Gbadamosi and Siji Soetan, who play Tola and her best friend Kole. Other characters from the show include voice acting by Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch and Weruche Opia.
Simisola Gbadamosi, who voices Tola in the animated series “Iwájú,” attends the world premiere in Lagos, Nigeria, on February 27. Uchechi Nwaneri/CNN
To accurately depict the “soul of Lagos,” Ibrahim says they relied on Olowofoyeku to be the team’s cultural consultant since he is the only Kugali Media executive based in Lagos full-time.
“I was there to make sure that everything felt authentic and grounded,” Olowofoyeku said. “The fact that the language, the way the characters talk is 100% Nigerian … I’m very happy about that because there is no scene where you will feel it doesn’t really feel Nigerian.”
Source : https://edition.cnn.com/world/africa/iwaju-disney-plus-nigeria-premiere-kugali-media-spc-intl/index.html
