Soca superstars Machel Montano and Anselm Douglas are famous for their songs and animated dance moves. But both men have also ventured into the realm of children's books and their works are in the process of being turned into animation projects.
These were announced during the media launch for the Animae Caribe Animation and Digital Media Festival held October 25 at the offices of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Port of Spain.
Lisa Ghany, speaking on behalf of Montano and his mother Elizabeth Montano, explained the animation project would be based on Montano's children's book Boy Boy and the Magic Drum.
"And this was a first in Trinidad and Tobago, and maybe the region, to see a soca superstar go into the realm of writing books."
[caption id="attachment_1042150" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Featured speakers at the Animae Caribe media launch are Saidou Benabe from Caribbean Animation Project II, left, IDB country manager Carina Cockburn; Lisa Ghany, festival founding director Camille Selvon Abrahams; Trade and Industry Ministry permanent secretary Randall Karim and festival director Roxanne Colthrust. - courtesy Animae Caribe Festival[/caption]
She said Montano as an innovator, creative and leader in his field, it was a major move to tell the Caribbean story in a children's book. She added it was a story that incorporated things about the environment and pan.
"This book was done in 2009 and we're now in 2023. And much has changed in how we communicate and how we spread our messages. And therefore Machel, being one who is always looking for that creative dimension to share his stories, saw the value of partnering with Animae Caribe, and the necessity to be able to use this medium to spread the message in the book."
She reported the partnership has been ongoing for the past seven years, which shows that it takes a lot of work to get a project from book to animation. She said part of this was finance and it was also about having a proper pitch deck and producing quality animation.
"We have to go local. We have to support our local industries."
Ghany added the first project could be part of a series of stories centred around Trinidad and the Caribbean.
The projects are being produced through the Tamana Technology and Animation Production (TTAP) Factory, a partnership between IDB lab and the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and a hub for animators to access the best technology and benefit from ongoing skills upgrades, marketing support and international industry connections required to expand export.
Spin and Scratch
Veteran singer-songwriter Anslem Douglas spoke about his project to the audience remotely and expressed thanks to TTAP Factory for providing an amazing platform for creatives like himself and Montano.
[caption id="attachment_1042145" align="alignnone" width="960"] Anselm Douglas -[/caption]
"As a child growing up in the Caribbean the screen was always like a fantasy. Something you never believed you could attain. Your work could never be onscreen or featu
