Lifestyle/Culture
A 23-Year Old Created an Animated Series About a Tanzanian Family in America By DeAnna Taylor
We love to see it, especially from young creatives. 23-year old Zul Manzi, born in Springfield, MA, created an animated series from his own life experiences growing up. The Matumbila’s is a comedy that highlights the clashes that Tanzanian parents have with their first-generation American children, while living in middleclass America. The show began production in 2019, and is streamed on Black-owned network KweliTV. In less than a year, the show has made its way into a consistent top 10 spot for the network. “I began drawing and writing little short stories in elementary school, but then I started to develop an interest in animation around the 3rd grade,” Manzi says on his website.
To learn more about Zul and his production work, you can check out his website: https:// zmasterproductions. com.
Additionally Manzi mentions that his mission is to create content formed by his own personal narrative. 79
January-February 2021
https://travelnoire.com/ animated-series-abouttanzanian-family-inamerica Image credit: Photo by Abdul-Karim Manzi, zmasterproductions.com DAWN
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