Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o has partnered with Nairobi-based media and tech startup Kukua, in support of their franchise series “Super Sema.” “Super Sema” is a new show on YouTube Original’s kid and family programing and marks Africa’s first child superhero animated series.
Fueled by STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) superpowers, “Super Sema” follows the adventures of an extraordinary young African girl, Sema, who lives in the neo-African-futuristic community of Dunia.
“I share Kukua’s goal to empower children through inspiring stories that feature characters in which the children see themselves reflected, I am delighted to be a part of this talented, female-led team of purposeful creators. As a Kenyan, I couldn’t be prouder of ‘Super Sema’s’ introduction to the world and the opportunities Kukua provides for our local creative community to produce entertainment that reflects our culture,” Nyong’o told Deadline about the project.
Nyong’o is an executive producer of the cartoon series and voices a character as well. She’s also a shareholder in Kukua. Kukua is an edutainment company with an award-winning female team working at the intersection of technology, entertainment and education. The groundbreaking business was founded in 2015 by Lucrezia Bisignani, and “Super Sema” is the company’s first franchise. The series was introduced to children in Africa through literacy apps.
“We are thrilled to announce that Lupita is a part of our company and our mission to empower children with the skills and capacity to dream beyond what they think is possible and to imagine and create a better world,” Bisignani also told Deadline. “Together, we’re excited to build the next big global kids’ franchise, starting with the ‘Super Sema’ animated series. Our aim is to continue to create content and products that inspire children to take what they’ve learned from ‘Super Sema’ into the real world to invent, create and play.”
“Super Sema” will debut its first eight episodes on March 8 while the remaining 12 will be released throughout March and April.
