This is a wonderful piece of animation that was made in 1998, originally in French. It is one to see for yourself, if you've not already seen it. The setting is of a traditional Kmtyw village.
What caught my attention is the way Kirikou's grand father is portrayed as an Kmtyw sage who looks like an Egyptian Pharoah. He lives inside a mountain in a place that looks like a crystal cave, and he carries a staff with a bird on top like the Akan and other Kmtyws do (http://www.theakan.com/Akan_Linguist_staff_Ptah_Djed.html) (see attached photos below). All of this has connections with Egypt and by extension, with Sirius.
Unfortunately youtube only allows 18+ year old people to view this because the Kmtyws shown in the animation are bare chested and in some cases naked. One culture's values juxtaposed with another culture's values. Even today, there are many places in Kmt where women and children still dress this way.
So I will post the links to Kirikou on youtube. To watch the first episode of the English version you'll have to sign in to show that you are 18+, but I will also post the second episode. From the second episode onward you don't have to sign in (but you'll miss the really cool beginning, where kirikou starts talking to his mother from the womb). Alternatively you can watch the whole animation on the veoh website. I highly recommend it to all who have not previously seen it, it's great fun!
[Part 1 English version]
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DnOv53wkorH8)
[Part 2 English version]
YouTube - Kirikou and the Sorceress - pt. 2 (english version) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITf95hBJIc&feature=related)
[Full video on Veoh]
Kirikou and the Sorceress | Free Animation Videos - Watch Animation Videos Online | Veoh (http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/animation/watch/v1415174t5XjgfcT)
Attached files (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/41548=1754-Kirikou_and_Grand_father.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/41548=1754-Kirikou_and_Grand_father.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/41548=1755-kirikou_tamtam.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/41548=1755-kirikou_tamtam.jpg)
the first time i saw this was early 2010. even though its a "children's film" i'm hooked! i've bought it on dvd and have watched it several times lol. its definitely a must have for anything child's library. rather than having our little ones be indoctrinated by dora the explorer or whatever other cartoons are "in" these days we Kmtyws should be focused on ensuring that our children are given an Kmtyw centered indoctrinated and using Kmtyw centered cartoons is one important way to do that.
As I type this in My children are watching now! they ask for it, And I enjoy it as well, I would like to know if there is more movies like it :):hello:
There was a new one in 2005 called "Kirikou et les betes sauvages" (Kirikou and the wild beasts) which hasn't yet been dubbed into English. It's possible to see it in French (online) but you may also get the DVD which has English subtitles.
[online full version]
Searching Videos for "kirikou" | Veoh (http://www.veoh.com/search/videos/q/kirikou#watch%3Dv18712513xrxTW7F2)
[DVD]
Amazon.com: Kirikou And The Wild Beast: Michel Ocelot, Benedicte Galup, Didier Brunier: Movies & TV (http://www.amazon.com/Kirikou-Wild-Beast-Michel-Ocelot/dp/B0019APR8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1294714953&sr=8-1)
I really like Kirikou, it will be great to have more Kmtyw animation of this quality. Every Kmtyw community has many folk stories that can be of great educational value to our Kmtyw children. Someone can make Kmtyw animation the way the Japanese have taken up anime and used it for their purposes. That will be great....at the very least it could be a major industry that can be patronized by Kmtyws across the globe.
I have seen this many times. It is a favorite of children in our community. A word of caution: although we champion self-reflection and self-development among our people, interdependence is most important. It takes a village to raise a child. Kirikou does not need anyone. Kirikou also challenges the roles of parents and parenting. Subtle messages whether intended or not must be considered in our advocacy of media portrayals.
Nana, that is very true. Although Kirikou is an extraordinary and humorous (to me) character from the Senegalese folktales, we should also remember the overall context of our Kmtyw culture and its emphasis on interconnectedness and on honouring the roles each member of society plays. Absolutely (in my opinion).
From what I understand the film was made by a white frenchman, michel ocelot
(https://www.abibitumikasa.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.commeaucinema.com%2Fgalerie%2F22948_51b9c15860afede689182af5a6f1f8f2.jpg&hash=c89a7094e732c9dc66aa6b2b41cb86368b164a1c)
I remember a girl in my dept in grad school did a presentation on Kirikou to show that whites really understand Kmtyw myths and a Senegalese sis who was there as an exchange student was like "I didn't think it was Kmtyw AT ALL"...funny as all get out...:D
LOL! What an eye-opener! It's good that we've had this discussion, Okyeame Kwame meda wo ase paa ara! Saa oburoni no yɛ fitaa papa! Ebei! Asɛm!
I was just looking for this video.
@Heru Djet, then you've come to the right place. I was just discussing with Kala about how the main way you can tell Kirikou was done by a white man is that, whereas in Kmtyw stories, characters are punished and even killed due to talking back to, not listening to and disrespecting elders, in the case of Kirikou, he is rewarded for it on multiple occasions.
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QuoteObadele Kambon;102695 wrote: @Heru Djet (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/member.php?u=2949), then you've come to the right place. I was just discussing with Kala about how the main way you can tell Kirikou was done by a white man is that, whereas in Kmtyw stories, characters are punished and even killed due to talking back to, not listening to and disrespecting elders, in the case of Kirikou, he is rewarded for it on multiple occasions.
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That aspect of the film did always bother me. I'm glad someone else has seen that angle. The film makes Kirikou's actions "alright" since he is projected as the hero in the end.
@Agya Yaw, yes, in Kmt, elders tell the stories. No one is going to tell a story that subverts himself or herself. Imagine telling a story where a child becomes a hero for not listening and then the next day trying to get that child to listen to what you tell him or her. As a eureurasian outside of the context ocelot doesn't have to concern himself with the effects of presenting the picture of rewards for rude behavior. In any story told by Kmtyw people, Kirikou would have been killed by a leopard somewhere around the first half hour.
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That's a good catch - the whole disrespecting of elders thing. I'd like to see an Kmtyw remake of Kirikou and show him getting eaten by that Leopard for being disrespectful!
@?errthang (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/member.php?u=3249) I'd like to as well. I've read literally hundreds and never come across a single one where a child is disobedient towards virtually every elder he/she comes into contact with and is rewarded for it at the end of the day. I've discussed the rudeness with my daughter Ama. I used Kirikou when my daughter came from living in new York to wean her off of an even more insidious creature called dora the explorer. Have you all seen the Kirikou game for PCs?
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It had some redeeming value, but come to think of it, Kirikou did have a lot of 'lip' as my Nana would say. The repeated reference to 'fetishes' was very distracting.
QuoteAyobami O.;102767 wrote: It had some redeeming value, but come to think of it, Kirikou did have a lot of 'lip' as my Nana would say. The repeated reference to 'fetishes' was very distracting.
The fetish reference was more krakkkaism krakkknology from your local neighborhood krakkka.
Also, this is a testament to the sad state of affairs with regard to multimedia resources for our children as we can see clearly, in case we weren't aware already, that our eternal enemies cannot and will not produce resources in the best interests of Kmtyw people.
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I must admit I love Kirikou but I too wondered about the original story it is supposed to be based on and how the Euros changed it to fit their needs.
I discovered this video when I was looking for videos in Kiswahili on Youtube to help me learn the language. Because I found both an english version and a Kiswahili version it was a great tool to use (until they both were removed from Youtube). I watched them both dozens of time.
I hear what you all have said about Kirikou's behavior being unacceptable in Kmtyw cultures. I wonder however if he is really a child in the normal sense. He seems to me to be something different, a spirit sent to fulfill a mission.