This animation stems from an oral tale recounted by the Tetela in the Sankuru, DRC, the hometown of Kibushi. Having grown up to these and other tales, Kibushi recorded local storytellers' account of The Toad who Visits his In-laws. This story explains how it came to be that the Fox ate the Chicken, the Chicken ate the Termite, the Termite ate the Stick, the Stick ate the Toad, and so on. Based on a repetitive narrative structure, and using the technique of cut-out animation, this charming animation is a joy to watch.

Animated by: JM Kibushi, DRC, 1991, short, 08mins08s

Produced by
Studio Malembe Malembe & Atelier Graphoui, Belgium


AFRICA ANIMATED! Collection
Despite efforts by broadcasters and the audiovisual community in Africa, children's programmes in Africa are mostly imported from the West, and tend to bear little relevance to the everyday lives of children on the African continent. In order to address this issue in 2004 UNESCO launched Africa Animated!, an initiative that assembles resources and expertise for the production of children's animated cartoons in Africa. The animations were conceived by local artists and aimed to entertain and educate a regional audience of children on a five-week production residency. For this reason, most animations do not have dialogue and attempt to address issues that are relevant to a young African audience while presenting images that stem from artistic practices that reflect an African aesthetic.

Democratic Republic of Congo, 1992, Animation/paper cut-outs

Running Time: 8'
Original Version: French
Produced by: Atelier Graphoui