Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has signed on as executive producer for Sanaa’s Stories, a groundbreaking animated series that marks her most significant creative investment in Kenya’s entertainment industry to date. The project, developed in collaboration with Nairobi-based animation studio Hadithi Media, will feature exclusively Kenyan creative talent both behind the scenes and in voice roles, telling original stories inspired by East African folklore and contemporary Kenyan life. Nyong’o’s involvement represents a major validation of Kenya’s growing animation industry and follows her continued advocacy for African storytelling on global platforms.
The series will blend digital animation techniques with traditional African art styles, creating a distinctive visual language that differentiates it from dominant Western and Eastern animation traditions. Each episode will explore different aspects of Kenyan culture through the adventures of its young protagonist, Sanaa, who discovers she can bring stories to life through her grandmother’s magical storytelling shawl. The production has already commenced voice recording in Nairobi with an all-Kenyan cast, while animation work is being split between studios in Nairobi and a specialized team in South Africa. Educational consultants are involved in the development process to ensure cultural authenticity and to create supplementary materials that can be used in Kenyan schools.
The long-term implications of this high-profile project extend far beyond entertainment to potentially transforming Kenya’s creative economy. Nyong’o’s involvement provides immediate international visibility that could attract further investment in Kenyan animation and establish the country as a hub for African digital content creation. The series also represents a strategic effort to create children’s content that reflects Kenyan children’s own experiences and cultural context, counterbalancing the predominantly foreign animation currently available on Kenyan television. If successful, Sanaa’s Stories could pioneer a new model for African creative production—combining international star power with local talent and stories—while inspiring a new generation of Kenyan animators, writers, and voice actors to pursue careers in the growing animation industry.