Netflix, the maker of many, many TV shows and movies, just shared its first trailer for Supa Team 4, the company’s first African animation series. It’s hitting the small screen on 20 July 2023 as an eight-part series that aims to better celebrate “the continent’s dynamic storytelling” and “showcases the strength, intelligence, and bravery within all young people.”
Supa Team 4?
It’s created and written by Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema and South Africa’s own Triggerfish animation studio, though Netflix credits France-based studio Superprod for the show’s animation. Mulendema made a name for herself back in 2015 as one of the eight winners of Triggerfish Story Lab, Variety reports.
When the show was initially picked up in 2019, then known as ‘Mama K’s Team 4’, Mulendema told Animation Magazine “In creating a superhero show set in Lusaka, I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way. Most importantly, I want to illustrate that anyone from anywhere can be a superhero.”
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Netflix’s official synopsis for Supa Team 4 looks a little something like this;
A retired secret agent recruits four teen girls living in the neo-futuristic African city of Lusaka. Their assignment? Save the world…even if it’s on a budget. In their journey from school girls tackling homework to undercover superheroes fending off supervillains, they’re transformed from a motley crew of friends into Supa Team 4!
The cast, too, includes several African stars such as John Kani (Black Panther, The Lion King), Pamela Nomvete (Andor), Nancy Sekhokoane (The Woman King) and filling the role of Mama K for the isiZulu dub; Linda Sokhulu (Ubizo: The Calling). As for the series’ theme song, that’s been left in the hands of Sampa the Great, a Zambian rapper and singer/songwriter.
Supa Team 4 hits Netflix on 20 July 2023.