First Pan-African Disney+ Series, ‘Iwájú’ to be Premiered

Video-on-demand service Disney+ has teamed with Kugali Media, a pan-African studio, on an innovative animated series set in futuristic Lagos, Nigeria.

The limited series of six episodes follows Tola and Kole as they navigate a divided world under the control of gang boss Bode.

The series which is expected to premiere globally on February 28 explores themes of class and defiance. The series comes in conjunction with the release of a mobile game, “Disney: Iwájú Rising Chef,” which will be available on Android and iOS, online news site, xtribeafrica.com reported.

Simisola Gbadamosi, a Nigerian vocalist, plays Tola, a wealthy island girl, and Siji Soetan plays her closest friend Kole, a self-taught tech specialist.

Together with voice actors Femi Branch, Dayo Okeniyi, and Weruche Opia, the pair explores the perilous tapestry of a neo-futuristic Lagos rife with wealth and corruption.The soundtrack, out March 1st, will feature African-influenced music by renowned Nigerian composer Ré Olunuga. “I rarely bring my own emotions into writing a score. In this case, it couldn’t be avoided,” Olunuga said in a press release.

“In addition to Tola’s adventurous spirit, Kole’s ingenuity, and the many other fun and beautiful emotional threads explored in Iwájú – the score is steeped in my own very deep love for Lagos and its multiplicitous layers.”