Not only will South Africa play host to the first ever African Comic Convention this September, where attendees can rub shoulders with actors Jason Momoa and Kevin Sussman, but local cosplayers attending the event will have the chance to compete for some great prizes, including the chance to compete in an international cosplay competition in Chicago.
Reed Exhibitions Africa, the company behind the event, has announced that Comic Con Africa will be hosting the African Championship of Cosplay. The overall winner will represent Africa in the 2019 C2E2 Crown Championship of Cosplay in Chicago. The top prize includes a return ticket to Chicago, two nights accommodation and R10,000 cash to help cover expenses.
Don’t know cosplay? A portmanteau of ‘costume’ and ‘play’, cosplayers dress as their favourite characters from games, comic books, movies, television, anime and manga, and the like. It’s not just slapping on your Super Mario hat and jumping over some cardboard mushrooms — many cosplayers spend months planning and making their outfits, and some have even managed to turn their hobby into a career. Not to namedrop (but totally to namedrop), but Yaya Han, cosplayer extraordinaire, will be making an appearance at this year’s instalment of all things geeky.
Yaya Han is one of only a few cosplayers in the world to build a business in this hobbyist community. Wait what? Her job is dressing up as fantastic characters? Take a look at her website (via the link above) and you’ll understand — her attention to detail is incredible and the range of characters she’s embodied is staggering.
She has created over 375 personal costumes — one in pretty much every fandom genre — as well as a few of her own original designs. She’s now internationally acclaimed and a household name in the cosplay community. The African Cosplay king or queen will likely be able to share a stage with her in this first stop in the ‘Quest for the Crown’ Cosplay competition.
Think you have the skills needed to challenge the best? You can enter here (before 31 August 2018), and find more information on the Comic Con Africa website.
