African Animation Projects

January - March, 2008, Nairobi, Kenya. Owen and Mzee Animated Films. In conjunction with Rainmaker Studios and Eric Wainaina, Kwame directed three one-minute film pilots to pitch for the production of the children's book 'Owen and Mzee' into a feature film or mini-series.The short films feature the titles 'Sina Makosa',' Love Has a Way' and 'Safari Ya Bamba', scores produced by Eric Wainaina and others. The 100% Kenyan story,'Owen and Mzee', published jointly by Scholastic and the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, has sold millions of copies around the world since its release in 2006.

September 22nd 2007, Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF). Kwame facilatated an animation workshop for the participants of the Kenya International Film Festival 2007. Look out for more animted films and workshops in the upcoming festival in 2008. For more information please contact www.kifftrust.org

May 27th, 2007, Nairobi, Kenya. Pixelcorps workshop sponsored by the Association of Animation Artist Kenya (A3) and the Minsitry of Information and Communications. Kwame help coordinate an animation workshop heldat the KTTC in Nairobi with the help of the US based Pixelcorps and the Ministry of Information and Communication. the workshop featuredthe chairman of Pixelcorps, Alex Lindsay, who covered many subjects including modelling, texturing,green screen, cameras and new technologies from his vast experience as a digital artist and animator on such projects as Star Wars The Phantom Menace. Pixelcoprs is an online training and information resource for animators and digital artist based in San Francisco, CA. Pixelcorps is aiming to grow in Africa and currently has free membershipe for artists based in Africa. For more information please contact www.pixelcorps.com

2007, Nairobi, Kenya. Association of Animation Artist Kenya (A3). Kwame played a leading role in setting up the Association of Animation Artists Kenya (A3), a legal entity in Kenya whose aim is to support the animation industry in Kenya. A3 plans on setting up a permenent resource centre in Kenya for animation artists, supporters and other interested parties. For more informationf please contact www.animationkenya.org

November- December 2006, Nairobi, Kenya. Tiger Aspect/Homeboyz production: Tinga Tinga Tales. Kwame worked on the pilot for a children's series: 'Tinga Tinga Tales'. Spearheaded by Tiger Aspect in the UK, the 52-episode series is slated to begin production in 2008 and will be one of the first animated series produced in Africa. For more information please contact www.tigeraspect.co.uk

October 15- November 19, 2006, Nairobi, Kenya. Africa Animated! 3.0 Kwame coordinated and facilitated the most recent chapter of and highly successful animation training and production workshops hosted by The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with partners Canal France International (CFI), UNICEF and others. These workshops aim to spur the growth of the animation industry in Africa by providing African artists with the tools and training they need to produce the continents own programming.This latest workshop was held at the newly established UNESCO animation training and production centre in Nairobi. The subject matter for the films focused on environemental issues. The short film titles included: 'A Bottles Life', 'Samak', Rendezvous',' Money Business' and 'Sayari Yetu'. The sound desing was porduced by students of the Mohamed Amin Foundation Television and Film Training School in Nairobi (www.moforce.com). Contact: www.africa-animated.org

Stills from the Africa Animated! 3.0 films 'A Bottles' Life' and 'Samak'.

June 23-24, 2006, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. . Photoshopsoup2nuts. Kwame involved in fundraising conference focusing on digital imaging techniques with experts and software companies from across the globe, featuring among others Thomas Knoll, the co-creator of the world famous computer imaging software Photoshop.... Contact: www.photoshopsoup2nuts.com

July 2004 and July 2005, Nairobi, Kenya & Durban, South Africa.. Africa Animated! Kwame facilitatated in the newly launched and highly successful animation training and production workshops hosted by The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with partners Canal France International (CFI), UNICEF and others. These workshops aim to spur the growth of the animation industry in Africa by providing African artists with the tools and training they need to produce the continents own programming. Contact: www.africa-animated.org

2004-2005, Nairobi, Kenya. African Sky Art Institute. Kwame has faciltated drawing and animation workshops with youth in the greater Nairobi area, including youth from Don Bosco's Boys Home and Mama Fauzia's Youth Orphanage, in partnership with such groups as the Arts Go Down and Childrens Voices Foundation. Contact:www.africaskyart.org