Luis goes animated

Luis goes animatedCombining culture, education and fun for Namibian children From modelling to hosting his own fashion week, Luis Munana doesn't seem to have any brakes as he keeps aiming for the skies and his latest work, is a children's programme. If you are a follower of internationally recognised model Luis Munana on social media you may have realised that he has been dropping hints of a kiddies programme, or if you are close enough to him, he'd be humming a tune with words Waka Waka Moo. The cat is finally out of the bag as it has been confirmed that the star is in the process of creating a children's programme, titled Waka Waka Moo.

Luis said his inner child is still alive and on any given day he would prefer to sit in front of his television and watch cartoons. This is how he came up with the initiative of a kiddie's programme, inclusive of all Namibian languages, and with all the roles played by Namibians. How cool is that!



Here is how it all began.

tjil (T): Why are you starting this project?

Luis (L): I saw my nieces and nephews watching cartoons on DStv and they would always repeat the words spoken and sing along to whatever it is they were watching. So it hit me, these kids could actually be watching cartoons in their own language, as well as English. They could be learning about their history, culture and so much more. We need to tell our own stories which can be consumed by our children. I also realised that so far all my projects have been for adults and I wanted to change that.



T: Why did you choose the name Waka Waka Moo?

L: Back in 2014 while in Big Brother Africa our very first task was to put together a musical. Our head of house selected all the musically gifted housemates to be part of her team and left me in a team with people who didn't really have a musical background. I took it upon myself to write the musical and script the play for everyone in my team. The odds were against us but somehow my team won! The musical was called “Waka Waka Moo”. It stuck with me and I decided to develop it into a kids programme because of how childish and silly our musical was based on the live animated characters. I started to believe in my abilities more as a writer and creative producer. So I went with it!



T: Why do you feel there is a need to tell Namibian stories?

L: Because the Namibian story is getting lost. As the years go by, the rich history gets lost and everything becomes about the West. It's about preserving the Namibian story by making it relevant, fun and exciting.



T: What do you hope to achieve by launching a Namibian children's cartoon?

L: A sense of originality. We are a nation of consumers. We need to start flipping the script by being a nation that creates. Let's make our own TV. It definitely brings back that Namibian pride! Why can't other countries look to us to buy cartoons or kiddies shows from us?



T: What are some of the surprising things you've discovered about making a children's programme using puppets?

L: I realised that even though it's a children's programme an adult can also relate due to the fact that it's a puppet speaking and not a human. The puppet brings a certain sense of humour which taps into the human creative side. It commands attention as opposed to a human-only interaction.



T: Will it be a full Namibian team working on the project?

L: For the first phase - yes! However there are certain elements of the show that cannot be done in Namibia because there aren't the skills here yet. We are looking to bring a mentor to train two Namibians who will execute it the way we want it. The programme is directed by a College of the Arts student, the puppet masters are local radio presenters and the animations will be made by three experts from Ghana and Canada respectively. All this and more will be announced in due course. In the long run it will definitely be a full Namibian team.



T: Who will be making your puppets?

L: At first we honestly looked to foreign markets to create the puppets. Then we thought about giving locals a chance. We tend to run overseas or cross borders to get things done without giving our locals a chance. We took a chance… the puppets are locally made and they look beautiful. We are just adding finishing touches to perfect them.



T: Where will we be able to see this show?

L: I am not at the liberty to disclose that yet due to contractual issues and finalisation. I also don't want to say it will be limited to certain TV stations. The first pilot series will be aired in Namibia. The long-term goal is to make Waka Waka Moo an African product and have it in countries like Angola, Zambia and have it in languages like Swahili as well. This is my passion. I have high hopes for it and the support I have been receiving so far is overwhelming.



T: Have you found Waka Waka Moo characters already?

L: We held auditions on 8 April. The turnout was overwhelming. Parents accompanied their children to the auditions. We even had children travel from Oshakati to audition. Furthermore, there is a request to host auditions in other regions to give as many Namibian children the opportunity to be part of the Waka Waka Moo show. The children had the option to audition for the roles of main host, singers, dancers, extras and voice-over artists. The names of successful children will be released month-end. I would like to work with as many children as possible so we are trying to create many roles so that the majority of the children who auditioned get a cameo on the show even if it's just on an episode.



T: When will it launch?

L: We are looking to launch in July the latest.



June Shimuoshili