The good guys at animation company Magic Carpet Studios have acquired the full rights from HEBN PLC publishers to make an animated feature film adaptation of Cyprian Ekwensi’s classic novel The Passport of Mallam Ilia. And I’m excited. Excited. EXCITED. Because this move consolidates on efforts in telling authentic African stories, especially through the animation format.

GREAT NEWS: Follow @magiccarpet_studios to stay updated! We at @magiccarpet_studios are excited to announce a major work in progress. ???? With full rights from HEBN PLC publishers, We are working on an animated feature film adaption from the book, ‘Passport of Mallam Illia’ by Cyrian Ekwensi. The Passport of Mallam Ilia is a captivating story set in Northern Nigeria during the pre-independence era. The story focused on Mallam Ilia, who spent a greater part of his life seeking revenge for a painful incident propagated by a villain named Usman. The story unpacks action, passion, love and loss while exploring history and culture. Here is a Sneak Peek into the movie. Stay tuned here on @magiccarpet_studios to get updates on the project. Follow @magiccarpet_studios on Instagram and @Magiccarpetng on Twitter and facebook. #PassportOfMallamIlia #Animation #Movie #BookAdaptation #Trailer #Cinema #Nollywood #2DAnimation #3DAnimation #Film #CharacterCreation #MallamIlia #CyprianEkwesi #NorthernNigeria #Hausa #Fulani #ColonialNigeria #History #Culture #WeAreNigerianCreatives #Nigeria #Fiction

A post shared by Magic Carpet Studios (@magiccarpet_studios) on Mar 19, 2018 at 7:54am PDT

Last year, Komotion Studios unleashed Dawn of Thunder, an animated short film that explores the origin story of the Yoruba god of thunder Sango. The 3D film is arguably the most culturally visible animated work till date, and still bears the promise of a web series or feature length movie. Telling African stories subsumed by history can be a daunting, dispiriting task, and this is because of the zeitgeisty taste in more commercial genres like romantic comedies and the bulk of Hollywood content.

Originally published in 1960, Cyprian Ekwensi’s The Passport of Mallam Ilia was required high school reading, a story begging for an adaptation. Set in colonial Northern Nigeria, The Passport of Mallam Ilia tells the story of Mallam Ilia’s quest to avenge the death of his beautiful wife Sarah at the hands of Mallam Usuman. While Ilia was able to get his revenge, it was one that came at a very high price. Once again, I’m excited about this upcoming adaptation and we’ll keep you posted on any development on the film.

Bernard Dayo

When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.