by Thinus Ferreira
While Africa is rich in stories, folklore, writing talent and creativity, the execution and production in successfully birthing an African-type of Squid Game that garners global appeal has so far remained elusive.
In September 2024, MultiChoice's Showmax, which Canal+ is now shuttering, released Subterranea, Kenya's first-ever sci-fi series as a psychological thriller that never would have seen the light of day if it weren't for the African streaming service that took a big swing with the Nairobi-based Kibanda Pictures on the bunker-set series.
When it comes to quality, engrossing and smart science fiction and fantasy, home-made in Africa and resonating with global viewers, Nosipho Dumisa-Ngoasheng, says the lack of buzzed-about genre content is because Africa underestimates itself.
The South African writer, director and producer who co-founded Gambit Films, says, "I have many opinions on this".
She spoke as a panellist at the 8th Joburg Film Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she implored Africa's biz to take a new look at genre content and to take the risk with sci-fi and fantasy stories, and to start trying it out on a small scale.
While Comic Con Cape Town is set for 30 April and Comic Con Africa 2026 is marked for 24 September in Johannesburg and while both fan-driven events on African soil have found success and support from sci-fi and fantasy lovers, the content and stars it rests on are primarily international.
"This is for me where I think it's a case of 'don't under-estimate our audiences'. I think in this particular area, I do feel we have under-estimated our audiences," she says.
"2009's District 9 science fiction action film from Neill Blomkamp came out several years ago. If you asked me what film I wish I had been a part of, that would be it without a question," Dumisa-Ngoasheng noted.
"While it wasn't a South African production in that it wasn't a South African company or South African studio or anything like that, what it did highlight is that our audiences are absolutely hungry for it. Our audience absolutely wants it. And then nothing."
"When District 9 came out, I was absolutely convinced that it was the dawn of a new era - that something new was coming. We had big things we were pitching. We had all or spec sci-fi's. And then the conversations were always ''Our audiences don't understand it'. Which I don't believe."
"We've seen it time and time again - scifi and fantasy as genre work. I think the misconception and where we falter is in thinking it requires a crazy budget because it requires a crazy, massive world and everything is big."
"I think it comes back to the same thing about knowing what you won't compromise on. There is nothing wrong with starting small, for example, an Ex Machina. Her. These are grounded scifi's where yes, the budgets in Hollywood are spent on Joaquin Phoenix and so on but we don't have to do that."
"It takes a high concept, that is grounded with an element of these genres, that we slowly start to explore and that we start to play around with and take some risks. It's also a question of who do we take risks with? Who has already displayed an understanding of the genre?"
Dumisa-Ngoasheng says "What I also think sometimes happens if we are navigating and going into genres with partners who haven't necessarily attempted it even on a small scale, then there's a higher risk, as opposed to 'maybe they have shorts that have already been done in this way.' Maybe the story isn't so good but the technical is good - let's partner with a great storyteller or use a piece of IP to build the thing."
"I can't stress enough how I feel there's an audience, myself being one of those audience members, who are greatly underserved in the genres of sci-fi and fantasy. I mean fantasy! Africa's storytelling is grounded in fantastical stories but we never get to go there."
