After all, we’re well aware of the potential for African storytelling in more exciting and interactive forms beyond text-only literature. Kwezi joins the likes of Strike Guard and Orisha Pikin, who have produced an animated short (by Spoof Animation Studios) and an animated storyboard proof of concept respectively over the last year.Īs more and more comics pop up on the African comics scene (especially from Nigeria and Zimbabwe), it’s only logical that African creatives take the next step to bring their ideas and stories to the big screen through animation.
An animated series will keep the story going and the excitement overflowing. The Kwezi Facebook page recently shared a screen test for the animation not long after sharing a short behind the scenes video and it’s all sorts of exciting! The comic is 7 issues deep and isn’t ending anytime soon *not nearly enough material for a short series, but a good start regardless. (Read the first Kwezi issue for free here). The comic shares the adventures of a young narcissistic man, Kwezi, who discovers he has super powers, is part of an ancient race that pre-dates humanity and must set off on a journey to save the world and find his purpose. The self-published comic took three years to develop after local publishers balked at the idea that a South African superhero could be a successful endeavor.Kwezi, one of the superstars on the African comics scene is getting the animation treatment and that’s a sweet dream come true! The Kwezi animation screen test is an adaptation of the superhero comic by the talented Loyiso Mkize from South Africa.
Since the release of Kwezi's inaugural issue a year ago, Mkize and his team have followed up with two additional installments to the planned 12-part series. To accurately reflect Kwezi's world and that of potential readers, the comic's dialogue is peppered with street slang and pop culture references that place the story in a familiar context for young South Africans. Portrayed as a cocky anti-hero obsessed with selfies and Twitter, Kwezi is initially fueled by the attention from his adoring online fans, but he soon finds out that his powers come with a cultural responsibility. The comic follows a narcissistic teenage boy named Kwezi as he discovers his superhuman abilities amid the daily hustle of the fictional Gold City- a bustling metropolis modeled after Johannesburg. Mkize describes Kwezi as "a coming of age story about finding one's heritage." Kwezi, which means "star" in Xhosa and Zulu, is the brainchild of Loyiso Mkize, a designer and fine artist who got his start in comics as an illustrator for the long-running Supa Strikas soccer series. The African superhero universe continues to widen with the emergence of a comic book series from South Africa.
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