Finally We have Something for the kids!
Referred to as Africa‘s answer to Dora the Explorer, Adamu Waziri’s Bino and Fino just pulled off the impressive feat of being the first cartoon to be available in Nigeria’s three major local languages – it’s also available in Swahili and French.
Bino and Fino follows the everyday life of a Nigerian brother and sister who live with their grandparents. It also uses everyday situations to teach African kids about their culture, and with the multiple language options, helps them learn their local dialects along the way.
During an interview with African Screens, Waziri shared what inspired him to create the show:
“I couldn’t understand why there weren’t any Nigerian cartoons for kids. In fact, there weren’t really many African cartoons at all.
Children in Africa are watching imported cartoons that have nothing to do with them when it comes to ethnic and cultural issues.”
Waziri also shared that Bino and Fino wasn’t only created to enlighten African kids, but to portray a positive image of Africa for kids from all around the world – so maybe the “did you ride elephants to get to school back in Africa?” questions from non-Africans can finally end.
Speaking about changing people’s perceptions of Africa from an early age, Waziri said:
“Young children are constantly being bombarded with negative and patronizing images of Africa, and generally by the time they are around 10, they have already formed a negative impression about the continent.
“So, it’s best to get started when they are young and give them positive images of the continent.”
