Local animators draw inspiration from societal ills
Animation Illustration duo, Jubilent Matlala and Caswell Pila are using their self-taught skills to help make a positive change in the community.
POLOKWANE – Cousins, Jubilent Matlala (21) and Caswell Pila (18) are on a mission to create awareness about societal issues such as bullying, through their animated illustrations.
“We have always loved drawing and would draw on everything, which often got us into trouble. Our drawings were inspired by cartoons like Ben 10, Dragon Ball Z and so on. Now that we are older, we realise how much one can do with illustrations,” Jubilent explained.
The duo, who reside in Seshego and Lethuli Park work from home and a local author inspired them to pursue a career in animation. “Ledile Ngwangwa and her fiancè, Victor Mogale, introduced me to animated illustrations and explained what they are. Victor is my mentor and I often produce music for him, so when they introduced me to the concept, I was excited to see how far I could go with it,” Jubilent said.
He then recruited Caswell, a gadget-whizz, and asked for his help to bring his illustrations to life. They worked on illustrations for Ledile’s book, and they are looking forward to seeing their work published abroad one day.
The duo are now working on their own project, an animated short film titled SuperBald, which addresses the issue of bullying.
They hope this fresh perspective on the matter encourages people to treat others with respect, referring to the recent tragedy of Lefuno Mavhunga, who committed suicide after her fellow learners bullied her in the Vhembe district.
