One defining benchmark of the pioneering social media generation is our passionate advocacy for representation. And one contentious discourse has been of the devastating aftermath of associating beauty with Eurocentric standards: fair skin and blonde hair. As such, we found it imperative to curate a list of accessible, fun, and educational YouTube channels for our beloved community and be cliché enough to coin the #AfroTube playlist. The #AfroTube playlist encompasses the best diasporic animation on YouTube, where our African children can see themselves (and their features) in their new favourite cartoons.

 

Ubongo Kids

 

 

Ubongo Kids is a division of Ubongo Learning founded by Nisha Ligon, Rajab Semtawa, Cleng’a Ng’atigwa, Tom Ng’atigwa and Arnold Minde. The Tanzanian export is an animated educational TV series created and produced by Ubongo Media, which entertains kids across forty African countries. It targets children between the ages of 7-14 and covers science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and social-emotional learning (SEL).

 

The series follows the journey of five friends as they go on adventures and solve problems in Kokotoa Village with the help of the animals of Kokotoa Forest! Through a diverse and multilingual pallet, the pubescent audience has the liberty of engaging with the storyline on African radio stations.

 

 

Bino And Fino: Teaching Children About Africa

 

 

When a dynamic brother-sister duo take on their curiosities each day, surrounded by African music, art, and culture, it makes for the perfect educational experience. Bino and Fino is an educational children’s cartoon created by Nigerian animator Adamu Waziri and has since been broadcast in over fifteen countries and numerous indigenous languages. It features a brother and sister, Bino and Fino, whose daily adventures with the magical Zeena the butterfly fill the curious young minds of its audience with knowledge about African history and culture.

 

 

Gracie’s Corner

 

 

Known for its social media viral “Phonics Song”, Gracie’s Corner was created at the peak of the pandemic by seven-year-old Graceyn Hollingsworth. Before the show’s inception, Gracie was found by her father, crying because as much as she had enjoyed educational YT content, she had not found anything that represented herself or her people. Taking matters into her own hands, she called on her parents, PhD graduate educators, Javoris and Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth, to create free content to empower and educate youngsters from diverse backgrounds.

 

Gracie’s Corner has reached over 22.7M views on TikTok, 897K YT subscribers, 169K Insta followers, and 138K Facebook followers.

 

Watch “Phonics Song” Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptk68qC1woI

Super Sema

 

 

Kukua, a Kenya-based educational entertainment company founded by Lucrezia Bisignani, recently created Super Sema, an African animated superhero franchise geared to inspire the next generation of children to change the world through curiosity, creativity, and STEM skills.

 

According to Bisignani, the lack of African superhero cartoon characters led them to create Kukua. The founder wanted kids in the continent to feel represented and grow with cartoons closely related to them, spelling out their culture and behaviours. In March 2021, YouTube picked up the first season of Super Sema, acquired its distribution rights, and launched the series as a YouTube Originals Series.

 

Since its launch, Super Sema’s YouTube channel has received over 40 million views and an NAACP nomination for Outstanding Animated Series in 2022.

 

 

Honourable Mention: The Satchel (3D Short Film)

 

 

The Satchel is an award-winning debut 3D animated short film from Creele Animation Studios, founded by multi-talented Nissi Ogulu.

 

The story centres around two brothers, Obatala and Oduduwa, sons of Olodumare, who battle to create a kingdom using an all-powerful Satchel. The story writer, Jimi Oremule, hinted that the story centres on what happens to the Satchel from the moment it is presented to Obatala to how it ends up with Oduduwa.

 

Complimenting the Creele Animation Studios’ company ethos of infusing the music with art, The Satchel celebrates Yoruba culture by realising sophisticated 3D animated motion pictures through Nissi’s music by scoring the film with two exquisitely written songs titled “Adupe” and “Wonderful”. In a Glamour Magazine South Africa interview detailing the vision for her animation studio and company, Nissi shared:

 

“Our goal is to create an African Pixar/Dreamworks/Disney type of company that can bring our vast stories to the forefront.”