In this episode, I chat with Ijeoma Ossi, Mark Mengjo, and Ziziian, three illustrators from the African continent with whom I worked to create portraits and scenes from a selection of stories in my collection of retold folktales: The Runaway Princess and Other Stories.
We talked about:
How they forged paths for themselves in the African illustrator space
What challenges they had to surmount
Their creative processes
The experience of illustrating characters for this particular project
Their thoughts and hopes for the future of illustration on the African continent
Working with Ijeoma, Mark and Ziziian meant a lot to me because as far as I am concerned, there are not nearly enough pictures, art or illustrations which depict the variety of creatures, people and scenes in African mythologies and folklore. Those that exist are scattered across the internet and poorly indexed. Over at Anansi Archive, I am laying a foundation for what I hope might become a link in the chain bridging this gap.
Wait…what is Anansi Archive?
Right now, Anansi Archive is a Twitter page where I periodically highlight art by African illustrators. However, I envision Anansi Archive as a searchable database of pictures, art, illustrations and other depictions of creatures, notable figures and scenes from the mythology and folklore of the African continent and the Black Diaspora. Basically, a space where one could go search “Flying Creatures” or “Magical Spears” and be presented with results pulled from the mythology and folklore of the African continent and the Black Diaspora. Eventually, I hope it can evolve into a community of and a platform for collaboration, publicity and merchandising for Black/African creatives inspired by African and Black Diasporic mythology, folklore and culture.
In the meantime, you can enjoy the brilliant work of these three illustrators! Visit the “Runaway Princess” project page for more information and ways to buy the book. It’s e-book only for now but print copies are coming soon!
PS:
Kahindo is the Nyanga (DRC) Goddess of good fortune and of personal “luck”, not of love…although one might argue that finding true love is greatest of good fortune!
Meet the Illustrators