With the rise of the Black LivesMatter movement around the world, concerns about racism and discrimination are deeply rooted in our society. Two cartoonists Dwen Uno and Michael Damby decided to embrace their African culture by creating their first afro-manga.
A lack of diversity in the manga world
This project is the subject of a mature reflection of representation in the world of manga. From a young age, the authors had difficulty identifying with the characters."When you watch anime or read manga and there's only one black character, he'll never be at his best.». He adds, "I thought it was a shame to have this image a little degrading."
The Last Kamit : an ambitious project
Originally, the two cartoonists aimed to create a video game.However, they finally opted for the creation of a manga with "the format of a comic" while taking inspiration from the Shonen.The Shonen is a type of manga featuring mainly a male and adolescent character.The values conveyed are surpassing oneself, the evolution of the character or bravery.But Damby and Uno do not stop there and admit that they would like to extend their manga to a project including a world such as the MCU with different characters, stories, works ..
The story of " The Last Kamit"
The plot takes place in a fictional Africa named "Kama". The Last Kamit is the savior who will have to put the world back in order since humans had access to the flame of the Unbutu which was protected by the Kana. This flame is an energy that Kamits, super-human beings use to protect humans. The actions of the characters are inspired by real or fictional events. For example one of the characters "Leopork II" is a parody of Leopold II former King of the Belgians. The characters all have different characters, physical and do not come from the same social backgrounds.This is where the authors want to foster diversity.
An original manga
This work is a comic book inspired by the Shonen. A touch of both genres, inspired by American comics and on the other hand a touch of Japanese culture, mix. It is a manga in color that advocates like the Shonen genre the acceptance of the other. There is some influence from the characters of Dragon Ball Z. If you are interested in the project, it will be available for pre-order from August 15. Here is the teaser of The Last Kamit :
