Get Guardian on GoogleThe team behind making of The Passport of Mallam Ilia into a 2D animation movie has sealed collaboration with the family of the late author to fasttrack ongoing production.
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The Passport of Mallam Ilia is a classic novel by the late Nigerian literary legend, Cyprian Ekwensi. Co-founder of Magic Carpet Studio and Arts Director of the team, Chekwube Emmanuel, said extraordinary lessons and potential in the novel informed decision behind the animation project.
“It is a widely celebrated book that is known across the world, from one of Africa’s most celebrated authors. We saw the potential in the material – and some unique elements, such as love, war and culture – to create a 2D animation that people would love. We believe that with the aid of animation, we can be able to resurrect the ancient city of Kano,” he said.
He said the animation film, which is near completion, would expose the younger generations to the zeal, willingness and commitment needed to tackle challenges of life.
“For us, this is a collaboration with the family because we believe that, with this, we would have deeper understanding of the story and the father’s thought because that is what we are trying to capture in the story,” he said.
Responding, one of the late author’s sons, George Ekwensi, lauded the company for finding his father’s book worthy of retelling. He said: “ We are excited that they are trying to make it into a short animated feature film, and that would raise interest among young ones that have never read the book before.”
While lamenting rapid decline in the number of writers among the upcoming generation, he urged people to put more effort into reading books on various disciplines.
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