Shujaaz.fm

THE MULTIMEDIA experience of Shujaaz.fm is taking the comics format to another level over in Kenya.

Shujaaz.fm use the comic strip medium to entertain while offering practical social and educational solutions to youths for whom standard literary material may not have been a viable option for one reason or another. Yes, there are words - in Sheng, a Kenyan steet slang - but it is through using them in conjunction with the visual material that both the information offered and humor present in the strips that are made the best of.

Shujaaz.fm is multimedia in that the comics will be printed as an anthology and given away free with newspapers, collected as books, have its own dedicated website (with digital radio station) where the strips will appear, be available via mobile phones and no doubt a variety of other means as suits the access of technology best available to the readers.

It has been developed by Well Told Story and the internationally renowned cartoonist Hunt Emerson has been involved, albeit that he claims "only in a small way" and it is due to launch on 20th February.

"It's an exciting and interesting new departure for comics, both in Africa and in the rest of the comics world, and I'd recommend you take a look online," commented the Birmingham-based Emerson.

To visit the Shujaaz website visit: www.shujaaz.fm

A radio podcast from UN's new service, IRIN, featuring an informative interview with Rob Burnet, director of Well Told Story, the people behind Shujaaz.fm can be found at:
www.irinnews.org/audiofiles/IRIN_Talks_Bulletin_16_18022010.mp3