Makmende Begins

It’s been two years since Afropop group, Just-A-Band, released the video for Ha-He, the second track off their sophomore album, 82. The video racked up YouTube views faster than any other Kenyan (and possibly African) video has. It inspired memes and had articles about it on Cracked, The Wall Street Journal and even had CNN do a feature on it. Makmende became so big that Capital FM did an advertising campaign based on the character and his exploits.

More than 450,000 views later, the band’s creation is a great example of an alternative media landscape in Africa, where artistes don’t have to rely on mainstream media channels to not only showcase their work but popularize their art. The dust may have settled but once in a while you will see references to the character.

An animator, Anto Dezignz, has come up with a whole backstory for Makmende and animated it. The five-minute animation Makmende Begins offers insight on Makmende’s roots and sets up a whole new story. It seems that this is only part of a larger film or series. Those looking for locally produced and inspired content might want to subscribe to Anto Dezignz’s YouTube channel and follow the series once it is updated.

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