Top 5 African animators who could give their Hollywood counterparts a run for their money

Richard Musinguzi

He has been nicknamed the Walt Disney of Uganda because his creations surpass curiosity. The 27-year-old self-taught animator, for two years, worked on what he hopes will be an iconic cartoon character for the continent, in other words, Africa’s version of Mickey Mouse. He would later create Katoto, a jolly, happy-go-lucky character whose storyline resonated with both Africans and the global audience.

“The cartoon series features the comical escapades of a Mukiga man [a tribe in Uganda] named Katoto who, along with his son, his cow, and his wife, navigates the problems of modern life in Uganda. Katoto speaks in a rare Mukiga dialect that is foreign to even some Ugandans, but his comedy is largely physical and easy to follow. In one clip, Kototo takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and in another, he makes a funny and failed attempt to take a selfie,” David McNair, an award-winning reporter and editor based in Charlottesville, Va wrote about the series.

The idea, according to Musinguzi, is to maintain the beauty of the local language and customs while appealing to a wider audience. When it premiered online in 2014, short clips of Katoto regularly received 25,000 to 30,000 views on YouTube, and the BBC aired a feature on the cartoon. The hope of the Ugandan artist is to create a legacy of stories using Katoto, that will help Africans connect with their roots.