(Agence Ecofin) – The whole world is passionate about manga, a Japanese storytelling format that evolved from comics to establish itself in cinema, video games and many other cultural genres. Africa could have had this impact with its famous tales.
In 2022, UNESCO and Netflix launched a competition to broadcast on the streaming platform 6 short films based on African tales. It is one of the rare initiatives to have highlighted storytelling in the African cultural and creative industries. A format which could nevertheless have been the catalyst for African progress in this area.
The story is indeed by nature the identity format of narration specific to Africa. Present in the vast majority of people and cultures on the continent, its narration has strongly contributed to its excellence in various fields. The tales, for example, strongly influenced “The Duty of Violence”, the first Renaudot Prize won by an African, the Malian Yambo Ouologuem, as well as the music of his compatriot Ali Farka Touré, one of the first African winners at the Grammy Awards.
The influence of tales is perceptible in several films and books by Senegalese Sembene Ousmane, one of the fathers of African literature and cinema. “Kirikou and the Witch”, the most famous African-inspired animated film in the world, and “Aurion, the legacy of the Kori-Odan”, the Action-RPG video game from the Cameroonian studio Kiro’o Games, are inspired and/or presented as tales.
The child Kirikou and Karaba the witch from the animated film by Michel Ocelot (1998), inspired by an African tale
There is also the example of the griots, famous African bards specializing in historical stories and significant epics of black peoples. However, the format has surprisingly fallen into neglect in African creation, despite its obvious contribution and its immense potential. A paradox at a time when the authenticity and singularity of formats are sales assets targeted by an Africa which is investing more and more in its cultural industries.
Like manga, Korean drama, Chinese Wuxia and many other trends including the spaghetti western, the African tale has its card to play in all areas of the creative industries. For the moment, he is making a timid return to the forefront thanks to podcasts. Focused on orality, this format allows it to reveal itself in all its essence.
Enough to hope that literature, cinema, video games and other sectors of the creative and cultural industries take notice and reappropriate the tale. At a time when many initiatives attempt to promote African stories, putting aside the continent’s main form of storytelling seems eminently illogical.
Servan Ahougnon
Read also: 05/11/2021 – Yambo Ouologuem: the rehabilitation of the pariah
