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Toto Bono Lokua 'Ma Mama' by Katy Wang

David Knight - 19th Dec 2017

British animator Katy Wang's lovely animated video for French group Toto Bono Lokua is a riot of graphic ideas that feels like a children's book come to life.

On hearing the song, and finding out the three singers came from French Martinique, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, Wang researched African textiles, particularly Kuba cloth, which originates from the Republic of Congo. She ended up using that as a graphic inspiration for her love story, told in a very innocent way, and using what she describes as a 'thinking through making' process.  

"When I first listened to the song Ma Mama I was struck by its innocence and playfulness," she says about the song in which man calls her wife 'Ma Mama' because she represents the roots of the family tree - the foster mother and the source of Life.

"I immediately imagined lots of colours, patterns, and animals in a dreamy landscape. I love the acapella in it, and the three voices of Gerald Toto, Richard Bona, and Lokua Kanza compliment each other so well. I like how the song is structured so that each vocal part tells its own part of the narrative."

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David Knight - 19th Dec 2017

Tags

  • Animation
  • Director's notes
  • New Director
  • World music

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Katy Wang
Producer
Leo Green
Production Company
Executive Producer
Duncan Gaman

Commission

Label
No Format

Other credits

Animators

Katy Wang, Lois De Silva, Martha Halliday, Hannah McNally, Maria Morris

David Knight - 19th Dec 2017

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