Lupita Nyong'o Partners With Kukua On YouTube Originals Animated Series, Super Sema
Kukua, a multidisciplinary media and technology startup that combines entertainment and education to inspire today’s generation of children, has announced its partnership with Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave, Black Panther, Us) in support of their franchise Super Sema. A new YouTube Originals kids and family program, Super Sema is Africa’s first kid superhero animated series, which premieres on March 8, International Women’s Day. Nyong'o not only serves as an Executive Producer of Super Sema, but as a shareholder in Kukua.
Fueled by STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) super powers, the series follows the world-changing adventures of an extraordinary young African girl, Sema, who lives in the neo African-futuristic community of Dunia. Super Sema was written by four-time BAFTA winner Claudia Lloyd (Charlie & Lola, Mr. Bean, Tinga Tinga Tales), directed by Lynne Southerland, the first female African-American director for Disney (Mulan II) with Lupita Nyong'o lending her voice as a major character in an upcoming two-part episode, as well as the official Super Sema trailer.\
"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,” said Lupita Nyong’o. “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.”
“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. Our team couldn’t be prouder to partner with Lupita, whose voice and talent has already inspired millions across the world,” said Founder and CEO of Kukua, Lucrezia Bisignani. “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.”
In each Super Sema episode, Sema and her twin brother MB use their “technovating” powers to save their town of Dunia from a heartless robot uber villain. From their Secret Lab -- an amazing den of invention and ingenious recycling -- they code world-changing apps, create energy from waste, engineer solutions for their community, develop virtual worlds, and might even launch a space rocket, but be home in time to print 3D pizzas! The first eight episodes will debut on March 8, 2021 and the remaining twelve episodes will be released throughout March and April.
“74% of characters on TV remain white and only a few portray black female leads in STEAM. As a black girl growing up in North America who majored in science, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me when I watched cartoons or walked into a chemistry class,” said Kukua’s COO Vanessa Ford. “Today when my children turn on their favourite program, I want to know that they not only can see themselves positively reflected on screen, but that they are emboldened to believe they too can be scientists, inventors and change makers. Sema is the role model for today’s generation of children.”
ABOUT KUKUA
Founded by Lucrezia Bisignani in 2015, Kukua is a Nairobi-based children’s edutainment startup with an award-winning female team working at the intersection of technology, entertainment and education. It’s first franchise, Super Sema, was introduced to children in Africa through literacy apps, available on both iOS and Android. In 2019 Kukualaunched Sema’s Lab, the first African kids’ DIY and science experiment series. The Super Sema animated series is the franchise’s most exciting development to date, and will be accompanied by real science and DIY experiments that children can do at home.