With the rise of artificial intelligence and growing access to streaming platforms, African studios are transforming stories once confined to oral traditions or local markets into global content. For Francis Brown, founder of AnimaxFYB Studios, animation carries the responsibility of shaping identity and the opportunity of positioning Africa as a creative powerhouse.
Brown emphasized that while AI comes with risks, it also provides African creators with opportunities to preserve oral traditions and reinterpret them for younger generations. He noted that the key lies in how the technology is used, highlighting its potential for cultural preservation and creative expansion.
“As much as it is able to diminish some of our cultural materials, it is also a great tool for us to leverage to preserve these knowledges that has always been orally told […] We have to find ways to modernize these stories to make it attractive to the new-age audience. And AI is able to stretch that image […] So I believe AI is a good material, and also it’s a good medium. And it’s also something that can also just spoil everything for you. It all depends on the user and how well informed they are about the medium that they are using,” the animator explained.
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