Africa has united! All 54 countries merging to become a single entity, Azania. It is a beacon of hope, prosperity and innovation. Not everyone is happy about Azania’s rise.
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Azania Rises is a science fiction animated series set in the near future. Africa has united, all 54 countries merging to become a single entity, Azania, a beacon of hope, prosperity and innovation. But not everyone is happy about Azania's rapid ascension. Azania Rises explores the question, 'what would a fully realised Africa look like, and how can it be brought about?'
Formation Animation was founded in 2017 by Dr Okai-Farayi Chinyanga in Johannesburg South Africa. The intention of the company was to create world-class animated content with a distinctly African flavor. The hope was to help redefine and expand the scope of ‘African’ animation, and in the process create content that is truly special. Formation Animations flagship project – Azania Rises is a science fiction epic, set in the near future created by a collaboration of talented African artists who have pooled their skills and resources for this animated series.
The story follows the journey of the Murwi, the elite unit of Azania’s Defence Force, as they navigate a world where Africa is a united superpower, while the rest of the world is fragmented. The Southern Union faces atrocities led by Jedidiah Smith. The Murwi Unit must put an end to this and restore harmony, whilst simultaneously dealing with threats from within.
BINGWA WA MAMIA
Nomala was born 2042, the youngest child of the Khamwendo’s, a family line that includes one of the founders of the Formation. Most of her family members identify with Maafu Siasa while Nomala joined Fasaha. Nomala hasn’t forgiven herself for not being there when her 10yr old sister died in an accidental fire blast in their home. Since then, Nomala has pushed herself to and excel in all fields. She is the youngest Murwi and is determined to lead the Murwi by the age of 30.
MKUU WA MAELFU
Anesu was born in 2026. At 18 he joined Maafu Lebone studying religion/spirituality. Professionally he started out as a psychologist in the military. At 25 he married Shida, a scientist, and they had a son Tatenda. Shida took part in a top-secret science experiment and never returned home. Devastated by his loss, Anesu, sought meaning and purpose by joining the Murwi and serving his country. He juggles Murwi missions with raising Tatenda. Anesu’s parents live with him, they are backup when he is out for missions.
MURWI CHAMPION OF THE SKIES
Chinyere was pro-Formation from a young age. He joined the Tumfo school of thought, at 19, after the Unification he joined the Azanian military. He got married and had two daughters. He lost his wife and children during the Coastal War. Thereafter he got his first augmentation, his left hand. At 25yrs he joined the Murwi and got his 2nd augmentation his bionic arm. Chinyere focuses all his energy on military missions. do.
MKUU WA ALFAJIRI
Thoko was born in 2034. She lost her parents in a tragic car accident, and she was the sole survivor. She was raised by her aunt who raised her as her own child. Thoko is driven by her need to be of value and to add value, she strives to achieve success in everything. She joined Maafu Siasa taking a keen in interest in Strategy, Intelligence and Diplomacy, She became a lecturer, where she met her husband (Ali), and they have twin girls. At 30 she joined the Murwi. In 2068 she formed the Order of the Fisi a majority all female organization, inspired by the African myths and history of soothsayers. They focus on using learned bodily abilities in espionage and combat situations. Thoko is focused on building a legacy for her girls this is her reason of being.
BINGWA WA MAMIA
Djimon was born in 2035 in Benin. Djimon was a quiet child who was bullied. He fought back without knowing his own strength, which often landed him in trouble. His parents enrolled him at Tumfo’ s school of thought (military academy) at an early age believing it was a better environment to nurture his confidence and control his punches. At 15 Djimon witnessed the devastation caused by the Coastal wars, which motivated him to protect his family and Azania by enlisting in the military where he trained as a corpsman and warrior. He also enrolled for augmentation at the age of 18. He has been adding to his augmentations ever since solidifying his role as an Azanian warrior and corpsman.
Main Antagonist
Born in 2026 to parents Camile and Louis Snr. who migrated to Africa during the Formation years. They lived in Cairo where Louis Snr. spearheaded the Sahara Reclamation Project. Louis Jnr was an only child until his parents took in Khadija, his classmate from Fasaha. He was close to Khadija, who he regarded as his sister. However, he was always jealous of the fact that she worked on a closed project with Louis Snr. During the Coastal War (2050) his parents were caught in the line of fire, Louis got there just before his father died and was bitter that his father’s last words were to ask Louis to take care of Khadija. He developed a hated for Azania, blaming it for taking his parents. At 24 he moved back to Europe and vowed to avenge his parents’ death by destroying the Mega Azanian Projects.
Maafu are the schools of thought within the Formation Hubs where they evolved organically. In 2051 the 4 Maafu were formally launched. They comprise the following ‘houses’ – Lebone, Tumfo, Fasaha and Siasa. The common thread running through all Maafu is their allegiance to Azania, how to better serve, create and protect.
Motto: Change, the only constant
Focus: Research and Development arm of The Conglomeration.
Role: Spearheaded the development of Smart Cities which eventually led to the formation of Azania. They were responsible for securing Azania’s status as a leader in tech and innovation. However, it was also from their ranks that the forbidden sciences were born.
Motto: Be ever vigilant
Focus: Vigilance and Alertness, military training, combat skills and body enhancements such as cybernetic augmentations to make them the ultimate warriors.
Role: Protectors of Azania’s legacy cultivating a deep sense of honour, duty, and self-sacrifice. lawyers, strategists, detectives, and Special Forces personnel.
Motto: Greatness lies within
Focus: Spirituality and servitude.
Role: To nurture a knowledge and love for Mungu, the Creator of all, expressed primarily through the observance of the core tenets of belief in every facet of life. They’re remarkable intuition enables them to ferret out deceit or subterfuge, which has led them to become prominent lawyers, strategists, detectives, and Special Forces personnel.
Motto: Loyalty, respect and integrity
Focus: Loyalty, practical elements of nation-building and foreign relations. Good governance
Role: The diplomats of Azania. They navigated the unification of the continent.
In Africa, a rich and diverse continent blessed by nature’s abundance, there once lived a group of visionary leaders whose dream was to bring unity and harmony to the peoples of Africa. Recognizing the power of language to bridge divides and foster understanding, they embarked on a remarkable journey to create the Azania written language.
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Dr. Okai-Farayi Chinyanga is the CEO, creative director and driving force behind Formation Animation’s epic animation series, Azania Rises. This is a passion project for Farayi, and he hopes that it will inspire all Africans and celebrate the uniqueness of the continent.
Farisai is an introverted sci-fi geek, sports lover and creative and serves as lead animator and editor on the Azania Rises. Mr. Kavayi has been a digital designer for over 15 years and enjoys collaborating with many talented individuals and then putting together the end product.
Fatuma Abdullah has a driving passion to contribute to the rising, vibrant African narrative through storytelling and enjoys being part of the fabric that is narrating our own African stories.
A creative at heart, Musekiwa Samuriwo enjoys developing and seeing ideas taking shape until they can be translated into a new and profound reality. As a scriptwriter, Mr. Samuriwo revels in the cross- pollination that different people, skillsets, cultures, and ideas lead to great storytelling.
As an early-career professional, Mr. Ponde is committed to continuous growth and learning, recognizing the vital role that these aspects play in shaping the trajectory of any animated project. He is keen to share unique African culture, experiences and perspectives through storytelling.
Richard Graysonn is a concept designer, Online Art Instructor, and storyteller. He serves as an executive producer and lead storyboard artist, working with team members and creatives throughout the African continent.
Pearl Mthethwa is music lead and music coordinator in the Azania Rises music team and enjoys being part of an ecosystem that values authenticity and the essence of humanity.
Angela Akua Asante is a bilingual (French/English) emcee, voice-over artist, media communications/PR specialist, and multimedia producer.
My role in the Azania Rises animation team is to create the worlds, animate entire scenes, lighting the scenes accordingly, create a sequence from a given storyboard. Part of this process involves alot of real time involvement of other team members which I find unique and the best part of the process.
Chenayi holds an Accounting degree and an Advanced Diploma in CIMA (Chartered Management Institute of Accounting). She has over 20 years of work experience and has acquired an understanding of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, management and financial reporting; taxation, and payroll.
Deputy Chair of AnimationSA, heading up the Unit: Social Impact and Human Capital Innovation running an animation incubator nurturing and developing 10 first- time animation TV series producers with the aim of producing their African animated TV series.
With 10+ years of experience in production, Kaya Kuhn is a versatile producer, specializing in post-production and animation.
I am a writer, very passionate about telling African stories and reimagining what this continent could be through principles such as Ubuntu, African exceptionalism and ingenuity. I believe in God, and in the purpose that he's placed in all of us. I love sports, film and spending quality time with my family. I have post graduate diploma in Applied drama.
Lesego’s experience in developing story has spanned many years, most recently as director of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire episode, You Give Me Heart.
I am a 27 years old Digital artist driven to bring about different unique contents that aren't common to our African viewers. I self taught myself through out my 5 years experience working with these softwares and freelancing. I am consistent in having to forward quality animations.
I'm an intern at Azania Rises, and one thing that I like about the Azania family is that they give good welcomes and it's a team that carries its whole family on a same ship to be successful as a whole. I'm a 3D animator student doing a certificate.
Intern in the animation department.
I joined Azania rises voicing the beautiful character Nomala. The Azania Rises project is a story that resonates with me because it is a story of a United and prosperous Africa that I dream of, and consider myself lucky to be part of a team that brings that story to life.
Sibs Sibanda is the Managing Director of Nexus Open Systems, the South African country Director for Resource Global, a Content Development Consultant for Ziwani (Mergon), and a Consulting Editor for Azania Rises.
Steven has over the past 3 decades been involved in live arts performance, which include ‘West Side Story’, ‘The Full Monty’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Grease’, ‘The Mysteries’, -locally and on London’s West End- to name a few.
ALL5 Advisory Services (PTY) Ltd is a firm of multidisciplinary consulting professionals operating from Johannesburg, South Africa. We offer management consulting services across the African continent to clients seeking innovative and sustainable solutions.
I’m in the Music team as a lyricist, composer and vocalist.
I have an ND in Marketing Management and a Btech in Digital Marketing. I’ve also completed a short course in social media management.
Intern in the animation and writing departments.
Award-winning composer in the music department.
Miranda Mdlalose serves as an instrumentalist in the Azania Rises music team and enjoys being part of the community of diverse and very talented people from across the continent with a similar vision and dream for Africa.
I am a fellow Azanian, A Production Manager, my journey in the animation industry began when I embarked on a quest to create grooms and clothing for Characters, during this time I realized she had a knack for organization and scheduling, allowing me to understand the needs of artists better. The artwork and the story captivate me daily, seeing the referenced come to life is inspirational
My name is Peace Chimoyo, and over the past two years, I've been deeply involved in the development of the AR series. Observing the story's progression has been a valuable learning experience, showcasing the careful deliberation and meticulous detail that goes into effective storytelling.
A lot of work happens behind the scenes.
From music, to voice acting, to writing to animation all the different talents in the team come together in the end to build and present the world of Azania Rises.
Music is a big part of our way of life and spiritual inclinations. Nothing makes sense without a harmony of music - when we pray, celebrate, and even mourn. So the aim is to showcase the diversity, vibrancy & energy of African music whilst stimulating the mind and soul. The Dream is for African music to be celebrated internationally, and for Africans to appreciate the originality of their own music.
The Azanian team produces original sound tracks to expreess the themes and story through an African perspective. Our music has featured in many of our short films and social media projects.
Azania Rises music is a rich, authentic African sound, that fuses the genres represented on the continent.
Music in this story propels the narrative at different frequencies and paces. It lifts the dialogue into the realm of feeling.
We aim to create dynamic and Afrocentric soundtracks. The overall production will bring together different skillsets from all over the continent, fusing their unique experiences of Africa into a passion to reimagine our common future.
We look forward to growing musically and communicating the link between the screen and the audience, while giving a futuristic African experience.
The Azania Rises music team incorporates sounds that represent the essence of African music, celebrating her historic accomplishments, and anticipating future innovation and success.
Lyrically, Swahili is the linguistic reference, with fusions of Arabic, Shona, Zulu and Setswana. The variety is endless and we look forward to expanding the African music landscape in collaboration with renowned artists from Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa and others.
We use instruments like the mbira, kora, kudu horn, talking drums, marimba, fula flute, in their traditional context. For example the kudu horn was used initiate war in northern parts of Africa and we use it in our action scenes.
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