Meet Bino and Fino: They're Cute, They're Animated, They're African

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I think you'll recall that a while back I wrote about this great new global African style and culture magazine called Arise. I just picked up the latest issue and read a small article about a new African cartoon series called Bino and Fino.

I admit, I was drawn into the story because of the picture of the adorable Black girl butterfly character, but after doing some more digging about the series, I got even more excited about the show. Bino and Fino is the creation of Nigerian architect turned animator, Adamu Waziri who lamented the fact that African youth don't have cartoons that feature modern African children in positive settings. He said in an interview that when Disney 'does Africa' they show lions and talking animals in the jungle. You never see people in a modern urban setting. And so the show -- targeted to three to five year olds -- Bino and Fino was born. The show is now being seen in the UK and in various countries in Africa. Three cheers to Waziri for making a difference.

Here's a clip of Waziri talking about the origins of the show and why it's so important for Bino and Fino to exist. And not for nothing, don't you just love Fino's Afro puffs?



Enjoy.

Peace!