User:Kugali Media

= Kugali Media =

About Kugali
Kugali is an entertainment company designed to provide millions of fans with stories inspired by African culture. Using animation, art, virtual/augmented reality and deeply authentic storytelling, they showcase African stories and bring them to the whole world. These stories respect the history of Africa, embrace its present and imagine its future.

The Founders
Ziki Nelson is an award-nominated writer and entrepeneur with a burning passion for storytelling. His work ranges all the way from comics to films/TV and includes the hit comic, NANI. Hamid Ibrahim is a CG artist with years of experience working on Hollywood blockbusters, using his experience to lead African media to internationally-adjacent levels of quality. Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku is a leader in the Nigerian video game industry with years of experience as a project leader in various professional and artistic spaces.

Kugali comics
Kugali's comics celebrate African culture and tell stories of action, fantasy and mythology using bright and beautiful art.

Lake of Tears
Lake of Tears is a long-form comic book about the many children who are trafficked and forced to work in Ghana’s hazardous inland fishing industry. After being mysteriously saved by Aya and Amina, Kyei decides to join forces with them to bring an end to the network of child slavery Aya and himself had been part of. With themes of childhood trauma, hope and how anyone can make a difference; Lake of tears will be sure to captivate its readers with its social commentary and strong cast of characters who will stop at nothing to bring an end to the child labour in Lake Volta. Lake of Tears is in parts based on a true story and includes elements of fantasy so as to keep it suitable for children and young adults. This was published on 11th January 2018. The creator Kobe Ofei won Ghanaian Nommo Award for this graphic novel.

Characters
Kyei bio

Aya bio

Amina bio

Monkey Meat
Described as “experimental and fun” by its creator Juni Ba, Monkey Meat - The Nutritious Collection is a collection of three short comics all based on the Monkey Meat universe. With elements of young adult horror blending in with comedy and whimsy, this might be the most unique (and best drawn) comic you've ever read. Its brainless, carnivorous hero battles evil and goes on adventures keeping the people of Ktu safe. Set against a backdrop of steampunk designs and dystopian worldbuilding, Monkey Meat imagines a fantasy dystopian Africa where Djinns have been kidnapping people and using them for their project to use liquified human souls. Published 11th Jan 2018. Juni Ba is a comic book artist, illustrator, writer and character designer from Senegal. He grew up between Senegal and France. His work are heavily influenced by Senegalese art and culture and they often incorporate elements of his life there. With a distinctive art style he has often been compared to Mike Mignola's.

Characters
Character bio

NANI
From Ziki Nelson, creator of Walt Disney Animation Studios' Iwaju, NANI is a mythical take on growing up in Nigeria. Two martial-arts-weilding sisters are kidnapped and whisked away into a land of African legends and must fight to survive their journey home. This story is set in Samma, which is inhabited by various creatures and beings that group themselves into different tribes. The tribes can be roughly divided into two groups, the Chosen who serve as the ruling class, and the Fallen who are thought of as lesser beings. Mina and Lamin, the main characters, are constantly confronted with very real manifestations of their heritage as they explore the world of Samma. One of the first people they meet there is Laye, a woman who is everything the girls want to be – smart, strong, independent, and powerful. As the sisters begin their journey alongside Laye, they also begin to develop a new relationship with their heritage – and, thus, themselves. This graphic novel contains themes of sisterhood, feminism, adventure and mental health. This was published on 6th January 2019. Ziki Nelson's works are heavily influenced by West African mythology and history.

Mina
Mina is the primary protagonist of Nani. She’s in her late teens and was born and raised in Nigeria. A couple of years before the start of the story, Mina was robbed at gunpoint by a group of armed thugs. Ever since then, she’s struggled to overcome this trauma. As a lifelong Martial artist, Mina had always thought of herself as invincible. After she was robbed, she was not only forced to consider her own vulnerability but is now confronted with the psychological scars of the incident on an almost daily basis. As the events of Nani unfold, she now finds herself facing an even bigger challenge: she is trapped in a strange world full of supernatural creatures, magical warriors and mythical beings. The primary motivation behind Mina’s character is whether she can overcome the trauma of her past in order to rise up to the challenges of the present.

Lamin
Lamin is Mina's younger sister. Like Mina, she is a lifelong martial artist, especially skilled in the striking arts. Both she and Mina are perfectly capable of defending themselves, and Lamin isn’t afraid to make this known. Although she's often brash and impulsive, Lamin is incredibly loyal and supportive - especially when it comes to her big sister. However, she also views Mina as her rival, and deep down she suppresses a complicated envy when it comes to her sister. As Mina grows over the course of the story, Lamin pursues her relentlessly, utterly determined not to be left behind.

Laye
Laye is a high-ranking warrior from the world of Samma. From a young age, Laye had been identified as a warrior with enormous potential and, as a result, she didn't have much of a childhood. Despite an incredibly intense upbringing, training her to be a fierce warrior, Laye is a naturally kind-hearted person with a very idealistic sense of morality. This eventually causes her to question the very society she was raised to protect.

Kore
Kore is the leader of the Kura clan, a motley group of werehyenas living in exile, and the antagonist of the story. Decades prior to the events of Volume 1, the Kuras had rebelled against the ruler of Samma and were consequently exiled to a barren wasteland known as Tsari. No longer willing to accept a life of poverty and strife, Kore incites a rebellion in the hopes of restoring his clan to their former glory.

Mill's City's Finest
Mill City's Finest is a fictional action and adventure drama comic about the life of a first-generation African-American Superhero, protecting his hometown from evil. This first volume is the prequel in the Mill City’s Finest series and centres around Togar, his pregnant wife Marie and their son Derik who are about to leave the civil-war ridden Liberia for a new life in the United States. As they prepare to leave, their village is attacked by Jango No Mercy and in the chaos, Derik is taken by the assailants. Now in order to save his son and protect his family Togar must become the masked Momolu he was always meant to be. With elements similar to Black Panther and its fresh take on the immigrant experience, MIll City’s Finest is suitable for all ages. Published on 8th January 2019. As a first generation Liberian-American, the creator Samuel Stevquoah wanted to use his personal experience to create a story rarely seen in media. With a background in animation and by growing up in a culturally heavy Liberian household he gives a new perspective on the superhero genre by personal cultural elements and experiences that first generation African-Americans can relate to.

Characters
Character bios