Movies, animation, comics, gaming and tech. Want to know what’s happening in Africa and beyond? Here’s the Run Down for this week.
NEWS OUT OF AFRICA – Grant/Comics
MIAF Believe that Music Connect Us
Music has long since been acknowledged as a universal language that transcends all borders. Music bridges divides and connects us all, and it is clear that it plays a significant role in the Southern African cultural sector.
Being fully aware of this, the Music in Africa Foundation (MIAF) in partnership with the Goethe-Institut have launched the Sound Connects Fund (SCF).
Calling All African Creatives!
The Sound Connects Fund (SCF) is an initiative that aims to accelerate development and increase the capacity of the cultural and creative sectors in Southern Africa by offering financial support in the form of different sized grants and comprehensive capacity-building programmes. The initiative supports projects across a range of disciplines including but not limited to photography, animation, film, gaming, videography, performing arts and visual arts.
Grant applicant will be challenged to look at sound not only in relation to music but also in related sectors such as sound in videogames and animation films, audio-visual arts, sound as a supporting aspect of the fashion industry (e.g. fashion shows) and sound in the digital creative sector.
Creative and cultural industry organisations based in Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and operating in the performing arts, animation, film, gaming, photography, videography and visual arts sectors can apply.
The call for applications is now open and will close on 15 April 2022.
Check out more https://www.musicinafrica.net/SCF
Foresight Comics Pave the Way For Comics in Zambia
Founded by Mwelwa Musonko, Foresight Comics dub themselves as the first Zambian indie comic label. But they are no ordinary comic production company. Foresight Comics are on a mission to shape the future of Zambian comic industry and they are doing it one comic at a time.
And they already have a head start with their climate change comic, 5th Element.
The 5th Element Shows Heroes Can Battle Climate Change
“By creating Climate change awareness material, I have shown that art is an effective tool for public engagement” – Mwelwa Musonko
Fifth Element follows the story of a young female hero named Quintessa whose goal is to fight climate change. Foresight Comics have published 2 Issues of the comic so far. But that’s not where the battle ends.
Musonko has taken a step further to educate the youth about climate change by visiting schools within Zambia accompanied by a Quintessa cosplayer and distributing free copies of the comic. For his work towards climate change, Musonko was awarded the Public Engagement with Climate Change Award at Climate Outreach’s Climate Communications Awards Ceremony in the United Kingdom on the 7th of November, 2019.
Find out more on their Facebook Page @ForesightComics
NEWS BEYOND AFRICA – Comics/Entertainment
Cyberpunk Graphic Novel VillainUs Asks Who Are the Villains?
What if the only way to create change was to start with destruction?
In this thrilling new comic series, writers T.J Sterling and Newton Lilavois have created a story that explores good versus evil, tyranny versus rebellion and what it means to be a villain and what it takes to be a hero.
Set in 2189, VillainUs is a comic series that follows the story of anti- hero Shatter. When Shatter kills three important citizens, the government sends in an elite force to take him out. But Shatter is bent on destroying Demotropolis even if it means butting heads with the law enforcement and the secretive government rebel force, DSTRK.
Likened to Bladerunner and Dune, VillainUs is a great read for fans of Cyberpunk and Sci-fi noir.
The project is currently running on Kickstarter. Backers stand the chance to win a digital and print copy of the comic, a collectors box and more.
Find out more https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tjsterling/villainus-a-cyberpunk-noir-graphic-novel?ref=ksr_email_user_new_friend_backing