Preserving Heritage through Animation
The explosion of the media space in Africa over the last decade has been an amazing experience for many. There has been so much growth both in the continent and in the diaspora. We have seen a boost in confidence and what is now referred to as Black Excellence. Zimbabweans are proud to say that some of their country fellows amongst those doing the continent proud.
Enter Zimbabwean animator Batsirai Freddy professionally known as Batsi.
Batsi is an incredible animator whose work has received critical acclaim. His craft is vastly relevant in times when education is moving online. There are instances were independent content producers and smaller production houses churn out B grade work in the name of producing content. But it’s good to see when an animator and his team put in the necessary time and skills to produce work that is polished, and of high quality.
I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Batsi. Enjoy!
Excerpts:
Q Please tell us your name, where you are from and what your background and artistic interests are.
A. My name is Batsirai Freddy, but people normally use Batsi. I was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe to a middle-class family. For as long as I remember I have always loved drawing and performing so it’s safe to say I have always been a right-brain type of person. I studied sciences in high school but by the time my A-level results came out, I was already enrolled at ZIVA for my advanced diploma in Graphic Design. After ZIVA, I moved to Johannesburg for my post-grad studies at Wits University where I graduated with a Masters in Arts (Animation). I lectured in animation for a bit but I then moved to being a full time animation and design freelancer. In 2018, after being inspired by my nieces and nephews, I had an idea to start Ndoto Kids, a content producing company that handles educational materials for children in Afrikan vernacular languages. The Idea was fully realized in 2019 and up to date has been producing content on our Youtube channel. I also run a motion design agency called Maumbile Multimedia which, handles corporate digital video solutions.
Photo Credit: Batsi
Q. What led you to the world of animation?
A. When my high school ended I was not sure what field I wanted to go into but I knew it had to have a computer in there somewhere and it had to be a creative field. So when I saw Shrek for the first time I was sold. I knew animation was my calling.
Q. What is the importance of animation in your storytelling?
A. Animation is an amazing media, which is not bound by the rules of the real world. This alone makes it vital in storytelling. It gives you a wide space for your imagination to run wild, free, and crazy. It allows you to build worlds that do not exist and gives us a peak into the window of the ones that have passed. In my case, animation allows me to create productions on my own or with a small team. I do not have to deal with sets and other costs of having live people act in my stories. I also have the freedom of working with a team that is all over the world remotely. Animation is also the best vehicle to reach my intended audience, which are children between the ages of 0-12years.
Q. Why have you chosen to focus on education in vernacular African languages?
A. I chose to focus on education in Afrikan languages because I am passionate about heritage preservation. I identified that there was a huge gap for material in languages and elements that children on the continent and in the diaspora can understand and relate to. Most of the content is produced in English with references from western cultures. Afrikan has a rich culture of storytelling. What would be better than telling these stories in their own languages?
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in producing your content?
A. With the risk of sounding like a broken record, the biggest challenge that I am facing is finding capital for production and marketing. This is not to say that we are stuck but we are just not moving as quickly as I would like. However, we will get there. Having chosen to work in Afrikan languages poses a challenge in itself. We have a multitude of languages spoken on the continent and not even mentioning the different dialects of a particular language. So, we often have to create the same material translated into the different languages. That also includes marketing material. Having to co-ordinate this does add extra work. We are hopeful in the African Union’s (AU) efforts in making Swahili the lingua franca for the continent.
Q. What outlook do you have with the work you are currently doing?
A. We are now in an open world in which there are many influences that we are being exposed to. Within that, the hope is to do my part in preserving Africa’s heritage. What better way than to shape the minds of the future generations. We aim to reach any and every child of African descent on the continent and in the diaspora. In the short term, we are working on an album with original nursery songs, which we hope will be a great way to introduce ourselves to the children of Africa.
Photo Credit: Batsi
Q. From your experience, what advice do you have for Zimbabwean animators?
A. Animation is a team sport. We will go further by working together. So I would encourage that we band together on amazing projects that will help build our local industry. There is a lot of great talent but it would not help if we all have our own tiny camps that do not interact with each other. I would also say peg yourself with international standards of work, that way you get recognition beyond your borders.
For more on Batsi’s work, please go there: YouTube page
Jekanyika is a writer