PATIENCE MUSA
Most of us grew up on cartoons. No-matter how old we get we still look back at out childhood and remember the cartoons that got us rushing home in the eighties and 90’s. GiGi, Denver the last Dinosaur, Voltron, Inspector Gadget, Speedy Gonzales…just to mention a few.
We learnt many lessons gathered in our homes or neighbours homes. Today most of these cartoons have been revamped giving them new life. Cartoons like sonic The Hedgehog and Tom and Jerry are still appealing to the young and old and the Saturday morning cartoons family tradition continues in many homes.
Though a lot of cartoons have tried to embrace all the races and colours of all the people in the world for instance Captain Planet which featured young people from all continents and different races. Most cartoons struggle with relevancy as far the African child is concerned.
Changing all that in 2018 is Cartoon network , they are embracing the African audience. First they fished for an African voice for a new Power Puff Girl and they last month launched Powerpuff Girls awards open to all African girls.
Princess Latoya Nontokozo Buthelezi best known as Toya DeLazy is the voice of the new Power Puff girl. The Zulu Princess pianist, dancer, singer and UNICEF brand ambassador has worked with Cartoon Network before, in 2016 she was asked to produce a reboot theme for the show. In 2017 she then received the call for her to voice ‘Bliss’.
Blisstina “Bliss” Francesca Francia Mariam Alicia Utonium is the oldest of the girls and the first known of Professor Utonium’s creations. The new Power puff girl is chocolate complexioned with blue hair and purple eyes. She was created during a science-off but ended up running away to Bird Poop Island after she failed to control her super powers.
Toya Delazy believes this will empower young African girls and “…now they know everyone can be a Powerpuff Girl…” she said.
When it comes to her music Toya Delazy has a new collaboration ‘London town’ with a Zimbabwean producer Ryan Koriya which is doing very well in the UK and she is about to drop the video. Besides music Toya Delazy has a group that empowers female rappers helping them record their first track and preparing them for the music industry.
As if that’s not enough Cartoon network last month launched the Powerpuff Girls Awards, the awards have been created to ‘…celebrate and empower young girls in Africa, between the ages of 9 and 14, who are looking for a platform to showcase their super-powers.
These girls are ordinary little girls with superhero skills who have great ideas to change their world. Split into three categories, each representing The Powerpuff Girls’ characters, entrants will be able to submit projects in the Science and Tech Inventor, Social Helper and Artistic Creator categories.’
Cartoon Network will be working hand in hand with Save the children and toya DeLazy to create awareness for the awards. Entries for the awards opened on the 15th of August and will continue till the 15th of October 2018. Specific guidelines for each category, and the terms and conditions for entry, can be found on www.DStv.com/PPGAwards .
Winners will be announced at the end of October and will receive their award at an awards ceremony held in Johannesburg in the beginning of November. Each winner, from each of the three categories, will receive $1 500 to help bring their award-winning entry to life with the help of a dedicated mentor, including Toya Delazy as the Artistic Creator mentor.
Toya DeLazy believes “The PPG Awards celebrates young African girls and their achievements. It aims to empower young girls to express themselves and never give up on their dreams,” So there it is…yet another reason to love Cartoon Network.
