What began with 12 young artists in Mkuranga has grown into an ongoing animation project creating stories for children and families. Through Idesign CGI Studio, we have produced 12 short films, reached 10,000+ people across Africa.
From 12 young artists to stories reaching Africa
The Mkuranga pilot brought together twelve young artists and culminated in a public exhibition on 14 September 2024. The programme was supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania and Nafasi Art Space, creating an opportunity for young artists to develop their skills, explore storytelling, and engage with their community.
The pilot became the beginning of something larger.
By 2025, we had produced 12 short films, continuing to develop our storytelling through animation under Idesign CGI Studio. These films are published through our YouTube channel, allowing the work to reach audiences beyond the communities where the original programme took place.
Our work has also begun attracting attention within Tanzania's growing animation and pop-culture community. We were approached by Swahili Komik Con for an opportunity to showcase our films as part of its festival programming. Swahili Komik Con has developed into a platform connecting creators and audiences around comics, animation, gaming and African visual storytelling.
Our films have reached more than 10,000 people across Africa, showing us that locally created stories can travel far beyond their place of origin.
We intend to continue production beyond 2025, creating more short films that are made for children and families, films that entertain, teach, inspire imagination, and communicate messages that can help protect and save lives in the next generation.
This is why we are asking for support.
A contribution helps us keep producing new stories, develop animation, create educational and safety-focused content, and reach more children across Tanzania and Africa.
We believe entertainment can do more than make children laugh. It can teach them, shape how they see the world, and sometimes give them knowledge that can save a life.