ABSTRACT
Archival and field research is needed to give us a comprehensive picture of the African animation medium beyond just the study of individual animators and productions, which is the object of most of the inquiries in the few existing articles. Africa has a longstanding tradition of the production of animated films even though they have not garnered the same consistent academic and critical attention as their live-action counterparts. Bordwell notes in the tenth edition of Film Art: An Introduction, there are two categories of animation, including "animated fiction films, both short and feature-length" and "the animated documentaries, usually instructional ones." Animation is at the intersectionality of several artistic practices, including photography, drawing, sculpture, illustration, and computer technology. Thematic treatment and aesthetic constructions are characterized by a wide range of expressions, reflecting the different iterations of 'local' through African settings, stories, and perspectives. Niger may be regarded as the birthplace of African animation through the pioneering work of Moustapha Alassane.
