We all enjoyed watching animations when we were children, whether it was from Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, Dreamworks, or any other production houses. Though the art styles were formless and other-worldly enough to make them enjoyable, sometimes I felt disappointed that there weren’t more people who looked like me in the animations. Fortunately, that’s a problem that kids these days can now avoid with the increased representation of African in animation. In fact, we now have African multiple animation studios, for example Taeps Animation Studios and Creele Animation Studios, who recently collaborated to release a 3D animation, ‘The Satchel’, now available to stream for free on YouTube.

The 11-minute long animated film premiered yesterday as Creele Animation Studios’ debut project and it’s as action-packed and drama-filled as the 2019 trailer suggested. The 3D animation adapts the Yoruba historical myth of the earth’s creation as it depicts revered Yoruba deities, Obatala and Oduduwa, (sons of Olodumare, the supreme being), as they battle for the power to create the earth with the all-powerful Satchel. Nissi Ogulu, director and producer of The Satchel’ explained that the film was created in-line with the animation studios’ aim to share authentic African stories and promote our magnificent culture.

Speaking on her motivations to bring the historical story to animated life,  Ogulu shares:

“Many of us in my generation grew up consuming a lot of foreign pictures, we weren’t privileged to watch content made up from characters of African descent, and this vacuum is what we’re trying to fill starting with our debut project.”

The brightly coloured animation uses character designs, scenes, visual screenplay, dialogue, art, and music direction to portray the beauty of the African culture, lifestyle and music while making the African themes suited for people of all age groups. The epic fight scene between Obatala and Oduduwa is very satisfying to watch while the entire story is relatable and allows African viewers to draw a strong connection to their home. The Satchel is truly one of the first of its kind and you can now enjoy it below:

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/The Satchel
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