Netflix Picks Up Zambian Animated Film

Netflix is taking a serious look at licensing content from the motherland. Earlier this year, a Zimbabwean creator secured a deal for his animated musical on the platform. The media company has announced yet another African film will be added to their roster.

Mama K’s Team 4 is an animated show created by Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema and it follows the story of four teenage superheroines who are recruited by a retired secret agent. The story is also set in Lusaka.

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.

Malenga Mulendema

What happens to local VoD services?

It will be interesting to see the impact of Netflix’s move to start licensing African shows. That might put a dent on the hopes held by local players such as Kwese iflix and TelOne DEOD, since local content looks like their biggest attraction. If Netflix and more established players start taking that content as well, it’s hard to see where they fit.