Welcome to Vol 203 of the Spread!
Hello and welcome back to the Spread, your weekly edit of all the best stories and global news about Africans shaping mainstream culture.
Most of this weekend went to work, pondering, and trying to touch grass. Ezra Collective released their album, so I’m feeling rather hopeful (if you know, you know).
Let me tell you about one of my genuine passions. It’s animation and animated films. Honestly, eight out of ten times I've been to the cinema, it's been for an animated film, and I'd do it again every time. The colours, the expansive worlds, the fun, the sheer amount of work that goes into every single frame. I could go on and on. Back in 2024, I wrote a guide on African animated films, and with more knowledge now and a much clearer picture of how broad this world is, with African animations dating back to 1963, I've put together a Vol 02, focused on films from this decade. We still have a long way to go in building the ecosystem, but it's lovely to know that a number of people are actively on it. Watch them and let me know your favourite.
On to the stories: a self-taught artist from Lagos just woke up to an email from the Television Academy, and his life has not been the same since.
Omotola x
Now on to the real peel 👇
FEATURE STORY
Self-Taught Lagos Artist Uzoma Dunkwu Just Won an Emmy for His Marvel Eyes of Wakanda Character Design
Uzoma Dunkwu, animation director, character designer, founder of Scroll Entertainment, and self-taught artist from Lagos, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for his character design work on Eyes of Wakanda, the Marvel Animation series on Disney+. The win was announced on 11 August 2026 as part of the 78th Emmy Awards Juried Winners, and it is one of the most significant individual achievements in Nigerian animation history. The Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation is a juried category, meaning a panel of professional peers screens every entry and has the power to award one, several, or zero Emmys.
Dunkwu was selected for his character design on the episode "Into the Lion's Den," honoured alongside artists from Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, The Mighty Nein, and Star Wars: Visions. He built his skills entirely through self-directed learning, going on to work with Netflix Animation, Marvel Studios Animation, Disney Television Animation, NPR, and more. He also founded Nigeria's biggest art competition, the Sketchathon, which drew over four million Nigerians online. "This win is for the rising talents from Nigeria and the Global South," he said after the announcement. "We can compete on the world stage."
🔥 Trending Stories
- Inside NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's First African Heritage Reception at Gracie Mansion
Read the full story here, via OkayAfrica - Nigerian-American fashion creator Wisdom Kaye has won the 2026 Virgil Abloh Award presented by LVMH, at Harlem's Fashion Row's 19th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards
Read the full story here, via Afropolitain - Ayra Starr Takes Over London
Read the full story here, via By Alexander
- Tiakola Announces a Cotonou Date on His African Tour — December 27
Read the full story here, via Benin Web TV - The Pan-African Biennale Is Coming to Nairobi, With African Architecture at Its Centre
Read the full story here, via Africa Art News - British-Nigerian Screenwriter Thara Popoola Wins the £1,000 Modern Stories It Must Be Love 2026 Prize
Read the full story here, via Brittle Paper - Tschabalala Self Unveils Lady in Blue on London's Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square
Read the full story here, via Art Forum
- Tobi Amusan Wins Silver at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest
Read the full story here, via BellaNaija - Silicon Valley African Film Festival Announces 76 Films From 33 Countries for Its 2026 Edition
Read the full story here, via Culture Custodian - Community Matters: Pioneering Hairstylist Charlotte Mensah Has a London Exhibition Tracing Her Life and Career
Read the full story here, via Wallpaper
⏳ Trivia Time
Which African animated series became the first to be acquired by a major global streaming platform, marking a landmark moment for the continent's animation industry?
A) Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire — Netflix
B) Mama K's Team 4 — Netflix
C) Iwájú — Disney+
D) Supa Strikas — Netflix
Scroll to the very bottom for the answer.
ICYMI
🧭 Guide: African Animated Films From the 2020s You Should Watch
African animation has been steadily finding new audiences at home and around the world, with filmmakers and studios drawing from mythology, history, folklore and everyday life to build stories that feel distinctly African while still travelling far beyond the continent.
From Yoruba mythology and Northern Nigerian dambe boxing to futuristic Nigeria, ancient Rome and time-travelling jungle animals, the stories coming out of African animation are becoming increasingly varied in both subject and style.
Here are some of the animated films, shorts and series worth adding to your watchlist.
What We're...
📰 Reading: A Girl Is a Body of Water — Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; a rich, multigenerational story set in Uganda that traces a grandmother's knowledge and a granddaughter's becoming.
👀 Eyeing: Ma'at Bag by ANYANGO MPINGA; handcrafted from natural raffia by artisans, embroidered by hand with imagery from ANYANGO's own paintings, and inspired by the ceremonial masks of the Sukuma people of Tanzania.
🎧 Listening to: Blow Your Trumpet — Ezra Collective; the kind of track that makes you feel like the world is opening up, also a nod to a popular gospel song in Nigeria.
📺 Watching: The Spirit of Dambe; a documentary short that goes inside the ancient West African combat sport of Dambe.
🎟️ Booking: — Unlearn The Diet With Gbemi Giwa; it’s about learning how to make the African food you love work for your health and fat-loss goals.
🧡 Spotlight: Ebeneza Blanche
Ebeneza Blanche is a multidisciplinary filmmaker who grew up between the Netherlands, Ghana, and the UK, and has quickly become one of the most distinctive visual voices in music video, fashion, and advertising. Named Best New Director at the YDA, AICP, UKVMA, Kinsale, and Creative Circle awards, his work is defined by sharp graphic composition held in tension with genuine human warmth; a combination that gives everything he makes an instantly recognisable tone.
This week feels like an especially good moment to spotlight him: Blanche handled the full album creative direction, film direction, and photography for Ezra Collective's new album Here Because Of Hope. If you've seen any of the visuals, you already know the level of care and intention behind them.
We See YOU!
At Marmalade, we believe in celebrating all the incredible voices that make our community thrive. Are you a creative shaking up the scene, an entrepreneur building something bold, or a culture enthusiast with a story or two to tell? We'd like to hear from you!
Share Your Story👏 That's a wrap!
Did we miss anything? Or just want to say hey? We'd love to hear from you! You can...
- 🚀 Advertise in this newsletter
- 📸 Follow us on Instagram
- 💬 Connect on LinkedIn
- 💌 Reply to this email
- 👨🏾💻 Speak to us about a creative project
Member discussion