The revolutionary power of comics | Somto Adjuluchukwu | TEDxTudu
The speaker argues that African narrative power lies in its indigenous spirituality, coined 'Spirit Fiction,' which resists colonial narratives by asserting that "return" is a deep spiritual state, not just a physical location. This resistance is exemplified by the *Land of Gods* comic, which shows the protagonist Caucus discovering a path to divinity through a mirror. The movement requires cultivating language pride and purpose to counter the global pressure of "international acceptable content."
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker; discusses Nigerian/African culture, spirituality, and comics.
- Audience setting: An event presenting cultural narratives.
- Core framing: The talk addresses a "battle between two ages of beliefs"—angels versus traditional beliefs (gods).
- Key point emphasized: "our most distinctive and powerful attributes is our spiritual beliefs."
## Theses & Positions
- African culture is rich in narrative, but the issue is the *direction* of storytelling, not the lack of stories.
- Colonialism has permeated society to the point where colonization does not require leaving the continent.
- Africa must reclaim and accept its indigenous mythology and spirituality as intrinsic parts of its history.
- Spirituality in the African context is inherently aligned with nature ("respects the earth it respects the sky it respects everything around us").
- The central thesis of "Return" is multidimensional: it is "your state of mind it's your state of heart and it's your state of spirit," going beyond physical location.
- "Every single return is a solution, every single return is change, every single return is advancement."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Spirit Fiction:** A new term coined by the speaker; describes African stories rooted in mythology, culture, and traditional spirituality/philosophy.
- **Return:** Defined as a state of mind, heart, and spirit, rather than a physical location.
- **Black Magic:** A term defined by white men to categorize African wonders; the speaker refutes this definition.
- **Land of Gods:** A destination or state linked to the concept of "Return," featuring the character Caucus.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Spiritual Beliefs as Storytellers:** The fundamental system responsible for transmitting foundational African narratives.
- **Developing Spirit Fiction:** A research process delving into diverse cultures, such as the Dogon tribe's understanding of astrology.
- **Cross-over Event:** Illustrated by the comic *Spirit Laws*, showcasing the genre's potential for blending myth and reality.
- **Language as Power:** Establishing local languages as the core element of development, arguing that knowledge acquisition should not be barred by English proficiency.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **2015 to 2018:** Period when the speaker began developing their company.
- **Past three years:** The timeframe during which Vortex published over 60 comic books.
- **2019:** Year the group arrived at Kong Ghana.
- **Last four years:** Leading up to the current fifth year, resulting in amassing over 30,000 subscribers.
- **Past 10 to 15 years:** Period when aspirations to study abroad increased.
## Named Entities
- **Little girl Caucus:** Protagonist in the *Land of Gods* comic; born in New York, with a Nigerian father and American mother.
- **Grandmother:** Person Caucus visits in Nigeria.
- **King Khufu:** Pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire known for designing the pyramids in Giza.
- **Dogon tribe:** Tribe from Mali whose astrology knowledge was studied.
- **Madame Khoikhoi, Clifford OG, The Baku:** Other figures/entities mentioned in the context of African stories.
- **Vortex:** Comic book publisher; responsible for over 60 comic books and animated shorts.
- **Omni:** (Mentioned implicitly through the context of the "Land of Gods" narrative) The guiding principle or force associated with the destination.
## Organizations
- **Vortex:** Comic book publisher; has published over 60 comic books in the past three years and created animated short films.
- **DC Comics:** Mentioned as a contrast to the scope of African storytelling.
## Places
- **Nigeria:** Location where Caucus visits her grandmother.
- **Accra:** Location of a book festival mentioned.
- **Lagos:** Location of a Comic Con mentioned.
- **Mali:** Location of the Dogon tribe.
- **Giza:** Location of pyramids designed by King Khufu.
- **Kong Ghana:** Location where the group arrived in 2019.
- **New York:** Birthplace of Caucus.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Comic Book:** The primary medium used for storytelling; Vortex has published over 60 titles.
- **Animated Short Films:** Content created by the speaker's group.
- **Quadrant/Mirror:** Object encountered by Caucus in Nigeria that allows passage through time/dimension.
- **Book:** Format for *Mama Juju*.
## Numbers & Data
- **60:** Number of comic books Vortex has published in the past three years.
- **30,000:** Number of subscribers amassed over the past four years.
- **13:** Caucus's age when she enters the Land of Gods.
- **(Implied):** The period from 2015 to 2018 was a period of "deeper struggles."
## Examples & Cases
- **Mango tree:** Used as an analogy: to get the ripe fruit, one must "pull the branch," implying necessary trouble or catalyst for change.
- ***Mama Juju*:** The first comic book created, which required turning "a lightness out of our black magic."
- **Harry Potter:** Cited as an example of a foreign narrative trope that should not dictate self-perception for Black children.
- **Japanese/Chinese civilizations:** Exemplified self-sufficiency by creating their own "Google" and "Twitter" instead of relying on foreign platforms.
- ***Land of Gods*:** Comic book case study featuring Caucus, the mirror, and the discovery of divine passage.
- **Anime:** Cited as an example of a global, successful, non-English narrative industry (e.g., *Naruto*, *Dragon Ball Z*).
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- Choice between writing based on "matrixes and econometrics and numbers and tables" versus telling stories, with the speaker choosing narrative.
- International acceptable content vs. authentic culture: The tension between external market demands and internal cultural truth.
- Physical location vs. State of mind/heart/spirit: The definition of "Return."
- Becoming colonized by systemic belief vs. developing indigenous culture: The overarching struggle.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- While watching *Harry Potter* is permissible, desiring the role of an axe-wielder is concerning ("it's not okay for a black kid to say oh I want to be like Shawn go I want to carry the axe").
- The speaker cautions that the opportunity or decision to engage with their culture must be seen as *purpose*, not a mere holiday.
- The *Land of Gods* story is framed as one of many, and certain details may not be relatable due to the speaker's Nigerian origin.
## Methodology
- **Cultural Research:** Employed to populate the "Spirit Fiction" concept, drawing deep inspiration from the Dogon tribe's astrology knowledge.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Must actively acknowledge and integrate African mythology into the modern historical narrative.
- Must adopt and promote local languages by putting them at the forefront of education.
- "We need to stop colonizing ourselves," as it is the most significant trap.
- The ultimate goal is to achieve "the land of gods" by understanding one's purpose as an African of African descent, rather than being defined by external labels.
## Implications & Consequences
- If culture is not valued through language, the negative outcome is that children aspire only to study abroad, causing cultural erosion.
- Belief in the "international acceptable content" lie forces creators into producing repetitive, controlled, and mundane content.
- Success in cultural self-determination leads to building self-sufficient creative and technological platforms.
## Open Questions
- How can a child in a remote area of West Africa achieve a major scientific breakthrough if they must first learn English?
- What is the precise nature of the "Land of Gods" the children must discover?
## Verbatim Moments
- *"it's your state of mind it's your state of heart and it's your state of spirit."*
- *"Africa doesn't have a lack of narrative in terms of the stories being told but the problem is the direction on which our stories are being told."*
- *"I have something to tell I have a story to tell I want to tell these stories I want to you know I want to break out from the cycle."*
- *"Kangana is a swahili word that means togetherness and the only true way that we can actually come together to achieve our journey to the land of gods where we are right now is by doing it together."*
- *"African culture is commercial its commercial as for the TEDx sake it is commercial in the most commercial way possible."*
- *"the biggest lie that they tell us is the international acceptable content as a content creator as a movie maker..."*
- *"Returning is understanding your purpose as an African child as African descent as African origin is taking pride in your culture is taking pride in your spirituality."*