Knowledge Mushohwe Correspondent 
Marvel comics, incorporating likeable all-American heroes such as Spiderman, Batman, the Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Thor, Superman and the Incredible Hulk have entertained several generations of audiences worldwide. Readers and viewers alike have had their attention captured by the imaginary heroes that dedicate their lives to fighting evil on behalf of mankind.

Lead cartoon characters have legions of adoring fans largely because they stand for humanity’s good deeds and look to solving problems that plague humanity.

Even new imaginary heroes that do not necessarily fit the profile set by the legendary Marvel characters, brought to life by Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks Studios, such as Shark Tales’ Oscar, Shrek, Rango, Rio’s Blue, Nemo, Turbo, Antz’s Z or the aptly named Ben 10 – have found followers among animation fans.

Zimbabwe’s animation fans are no different, whether they watch the animated movie in a cinema or on satellite television or on a computer does not make much of a difference.

What matters to both young and old fans of animation movies is that they watch the full motion picture and absorb every piece of action-packed information it unleashes.

It is by no means a coincidence that the main animation movies characters have found their way onto pieces of clothing such as t-shirts, vests, socks and even underpants.

Just about every local nursery school walls are adorned by Mickey and Minnie mouse, Smurfs, Chicken Little or several other animation characters. Some parents worry that surrounding their children with American cartoon characters dilutes the “Africanness” of their offspring.

They are right in a way.

The adventures of Snow White or the Sleeping Beauty have no relation to the African culture and the world they live in is out of sync with life in Zimbabwe.

The Smurfs’ demography is strangely skewed, with only one woman and several men living in one village.

What’s more, the “bad guy” in Smurfs, Gargamel has an evil-looking cat and an eccentric obsession with eating the blue little people, a way of life that may be considered cannibalism.

There are traits associated with American animation movies, such as how an “evil mastermind” Megamind managed to defeat both the good he competed against and the bad he created to become the darling of the imaginary Metro City.

Concerned parents certainly have a point but on the other side of the coin, what option do we have?

Zimbabwe’s animation industry is only just waking up with the introduction of tertiary qualifications in that area by institutions such as Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA) and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT).

The local industry is still in its infancy, and though animation software and tutorials are readily available on the internet, there are no guarantees that it will grow exponentially.

There are many processes involved in animation production, including script writing, character designing, storyboarding, character modelling, voice acting and sequencing.

The artists currently under training have all to do when they start producing their own work.

The introduction of 75-100 percent local content in the entertainment industry bears testament that, even if international production are superior, as is clearly the case with Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar productions, when local content is give a chance, it will obtain its own audience.

When parents worry about American content, it becomes apparent to local animators that there is a vacuum of information that exists on the local market.

Where are the African heroes, for example the liberation war commanders who led multitudes into the battle of independence?

How come the story of Mbuya Nehanda, or Mzilikazi has never been told through a local animator’s eyes?

Some years back, the cartoon series “Tin Tin” was accused of racism after its unflattering depiction of black people in an episode that showed indigenous people from the Congo.

A finger has been pointed at the cartoon Tom and Jerry too, for perpetuating racial stereotypes over its depiction of black people.

A cartoon series that enjoyed a long run on our television, Captain Planet also came under fire for ‘devaluing’ the power of African people.

The cartoon had five kids representing the world’s continents and each bestowed with special power to fight evil.

While the characters from other continents possessed extraordinary traits such as the powers of wind, fire and water, the poor African kid could only make a few rubbles of earth rise above the surface.

If the powers of creating animation are not in the hands of African animators, the choice for a character-themed t-shirt for local children will always be between Spiderman, Ben 10 and Batman or some other superhero crated in the western world.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Spiderman or Batman or any other superhero crated in the western world.

However, parents and their children should not choose them because there is no other option.

Local animations should make that decision a hard one for both to make.

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