Africa in Pictures
A sneak peak behind the scenes of Nollywood.
Commentary
Discussing cellphone filmmaking in Africa
Tutorial
Character development with Oladipo Agboluaje
Jozi Kings rules!
Justice Umeh speaks on his new film, Jozi Kings.
The Figurine unveiled
Kunle Afolyan looks deeper into the film.
Spotlight Uganda
Kamya on her award wining film, Imani.
On Mark of Uru
A look at an inspiring Nigerian animation.
> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
Currently I work as full-time senior lecturer in Minia University. Having recently obtained a PhD degree in experimental digital animation films.
Over the years I directed and co-directed many award wining films like "Carnival" (2001), "Crazy Works" (2002), "HM HM" (2005),"Sayari Yetu" (2006), including the first Yemen's animated film "Salma" in 2006 and "Honyan's Shoe" (2009) which won the Animation Prize at The African Movie Academy Awards (The African Oscar) in Lagos/Nigeria 2010.
Which animation films have inspired you the most and what would you say is your style as an animator?
Since my early childhood I was fond of Mickey Mouse and Tom & Jerry like millions of kids around the world butI was inspired more by Snow White; and Japanese animation also took my interest.
It is difficult for me to judge my work though, but I endeavour to create my own special style. Maybe you can consider my last film "Honayn" as different, because I used the silhouette in all characters and background to add more vogue and funny actions.
Where have you screened your animation Hanayns shoe and what are you doing to get more Africans to see your films so the next generation of animators can be perhaps inspired?
In fact the premiere of my film was at the African Movie Academy Awards in Nigeria last April where I won best African animated movie. The second screening was in Cartoons On the Bay animation festival in Italy last month.
And it was chosen in official selection of Tarifa African film festival in Spain to be screened in the end of May. And the last announced screening would be in Zanzibar film festival in Tanzania next July.
What other projects do you have lined up next?
My next project is an animated film called " VIVA Africa VIVA World" How the world always takes from Africa, and it doesn't get anything in return just exports the misery to it. The film will prove, the rescue of the world will only come from Africa!
Given the strong influence of Western and Japanese animation, can a quintessential African animation aesthetic exist.
It is difficult nowadays to create a unique or quintessential African style of animation. A lot of animations are based on American, European and Japanese styles and aesthetics, they dominate the animation film world - so it's like searching for your identity in the flood of Globalization, there is to much outside influences.
Although Africa has a long history of developing its animation, it still has not reached the level of animation as those countries that started even after it, for example, all Asian countries.
We have a very small number of academies teaching animation and it is very hard to get all necessary professional equipments, software and the trainers which would help us to educate generations of animators with their own tradition of animation, or individual African style of animation without being fully influenced by current Western and Japanese styles.
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> Animator, Mohamed Ghazala taking African animation to greater heights.
Interview by Don Omope | Photo courtesy of Mohamed Ghazala
Spotlight Egyptian Animation: Honayn's Shoe by Mohamed Ghazala
