ABOUT US

Africomicon(©️™️) is a project founded and owned by Toyin Kayo-Ajayi in Collaboration with a non-profit organization, Kara-Kata Afrobeat Society of Canada. What is the inspiration for this unique platform? Let's start with the fundamentals!

“I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off
my feet by any.” - Mahatma Gandhi

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THE BIRTHPLACE OF HUMANITY

Every culture is an expression of the human spirit. It is a unique answer to the question “what does it mean to be human and alive?” Mexican poet, Octavio Paz eloquently said, “every view of the world that becomes extinct, every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life.” 

The unfortunate legacy of 19th and 20th century colonialism has been, at best, a narrowing of our human potential and, at worst, nothing short of a brutal assault on our indigenous heritage together with its magic and myth, heroes and heroines, imagination and history. But humanity is both the conqueror and the conquered in an even more literal sense...

Africa has been the subject of colonization like no other continent in the world. In fact, so much so that a phrase the “Scramble for Africa” was coined to describe the occupation, division and colonization of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914. Today, however, overwhelming scientific evidence suggests that all of humanity lived in Africa until some 60,000 years ago. We have, in effect, conquered our own ancestral lands and destroyed our own cultural heritage.

In the aftermath of this tragedy sits our modern civilization, which operates more like a ‘mono-culture’ driven by the cult of progress and shaped by distorted narratives - human and historical - written and propagated solely by the ‘winners.’ But, of course, there are no winners in a war waged against ourselves. Only forgotten stories, abandoned heroes, lost wisdom and unfulfilled potential.

MYTHS & SUPERHEROES
But the human spirit is resilient! And our collective consciousness never forgets. Like a sacred repository of spirit and mind, myths and their heroes have the power to transmit the depth of a culture’s wisdom across time and space.

Today, western societies hungry for a sense of imagination that was the food of the soul for indigenous cultures. It is not surprising that many westerners turn to comic books and their superheroes for a dose of myth and meaning. Religious experts and observers of pop culture say that modern superheroes reflect ‘traditional archetypes and values in nontraditional settings.’ And the popularity of these heroic figures endures, no matter what media they inhabit.

Seldomly, however, are indigenous cultures ever given credit as the inspiration for the themes and characters found in our modern myths. And rarely do we find acknowledgement that Africa, the very birthplace of humanity, has something significant to contribute to modern civilization.

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AFRICOMICON

Africomicon is a movement to reclaim Africa’s cultural heritage. It will leverage mainstream mediums to educate
western audiences on what was never spoken about Africa. It will remind us of her forgotten stories, celebrate
her abandoned heroes, rediscover her lost wisdom and reestablish our human capacity for respect, dignity and
inclusiveness.

Our approach will be both educational and entertaining, employing art, music, theatre, digital media
and events to honour African myths and heroes while respecting all cultures, ancient and modern.

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Join us as we make history, together.

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