ABOUT
TAASEFest - The UK Festival of African Animation & Storytelling is dedicated to showcasing the vibrancy, creativity, and diversity of African animators, their animation and comics. It has created a platform for audiences in the UK to engage with stories from across the continent through screenings and exhibition of short animated films and comic art. By blending moving image with visual storytelling on the page, TAASEFest celebrates African innovation in both traditional and digital creative forms.
The event has the visual workshop element which creates an introduction to industry-standard practices in an accessible way, sparking curiosity about future pathways in the creative and digital economy; the comic titles, some of which have been turned into animated sequences; and the animated shorts screening with an oppoetunty for expert conversations.

TAASE is not trying to grow in isolation nor an aswer to the needs of the UK but to create an opportunity where animation is seen as a tool for storytelling and self expression, to appreciate such stories and how they are told. Animation is for everyone.

OBJECTIVES

Our core objectives are:

• Cultural Representation: With the annual events, we seek to spotlight African voices and narratives rarely seen on mainstream platforms.

• Creative Education: To inspire young people through workshops that nurture creativity, digital literacy, and storytelling skills.

• Access and Diversity: To use African and global storytelling traditions as inspiration, fostering cultural exchange and pride in diverse narratives.

• Animation Support: To raise awareness of animation and design as viable careers, connecting young people to the wider creative industries.

• Delivering Animation: To tour the UK and other places with the view of bringing these independent creators work to the fore.

• Community Engagement: To build a festival that is both celebratory and participatory, where audiences of all ages can learn, connect, and be inspired.

• Discovery: Generating, engaging and finding new audiences while also pursiing partnership with othr arts festivals and organizations for collaboaration.