African Superhero Sema Aims to Inspire Kids Worldwide
The animated series from Kenya is meant to be both educational and entertaining.
Super Sema episodes and clips have been viewed some 15 million times on YouTube.
Photographer: Kukua Education Ltd.
Super Sema features all the tropes typical of a superhero story—a greedy villain, a futuristic setting, and a do-good warrior who saves the day. But there are a few key differences: The hero is a 10-year-old girl from a village in Africa, and to defeat the robot villain and his minions, she taps into courage and empathy—not superhuman strength—as well as her understanding of science, technology, and the arts.
The series is the creation of Kukua Education Ltd., a startup in Nairobi that aims to build the first media franchise based on an African animated superhero. On YouTube, the 20 episodes plus extras featuring dance instruction, science experiments, and craft-making have garnered 15 million views—“massive, for a new channel,” says Kukua’s founder and chief executive officer, Lucrezia Bisignani. The company expects to close a second round of venture capital financing in July and is working on Season 2, due to start in December.