climate change. happiness. are you. smarter for free. so if i were a superhero this is what i would look like. and my name would be. we clearly have something special but bad for you on the show but i'm not going to give away too much yet i could genia and you're welcome to the 77 percent. i was usual so they show it's packed with amazing stories from all over the african continent and we have a special guest joining us in the studio mates after

a chat. from nigeria to find out of comic republic that got 5 out of africa and we'll be talking about that comic on creative up in the street in africa. just shocked me to leave an ivory coast. and last but not least. for. now just like you i grew up watching batman superman and all those superheroes now that was cool but the only problem was they did not look like me so i couldn't really identify with them if you know what i mean but there's a new group of super he was in town. and his team of young comic artists have created the universe of african superheroes watch out gotham city mega city it's taking over. from city of west africa. around 14000000 people

live here but there are no superheroes to be found they live far away in america and be all quite. wants to change this by making comics enough because he's fulfilling a childhood dream i think it was about 5 years ago my mum would buy me comic books and i would trees every single one completely ruined the cupboards yeah that's basically how i don't i've put a piece of paper on to the make them know and subvert the no 1st day with a print of the back cover but i do we go to a school just basically troops. are. crime and all of a nigerian superheroes are brought to life here and the public's to get a kind of alternative africa marvel universe in many ways under the watchful eye of g.-d. he has since moved to london with the hope that he was from lagos will soon achieve

an international bridge to. one of my major to come aboard because to push the african continent and the continent you know to the world. and to do that you need every structure much infrastructure that we can find back home in nigeria but you know london is. just right but what do people think of comic books back home. in the slums of makers at least that's what a kiss think if only they had own super polished just like the cocktails went so you want to go see if i was stuck did i not do damn good for use too many to get dancing in my. chain i was making. if you were in lagos i would tell him to do so many t.v. goes nigeria we are soft. bring. to me the want i

would do more than they would. you. even businesswoman isabella can identify with a superhero and. i not only white people could be superheroes but africa really have. become. all powerful she really. didn't matter and believes comic republic is successful because it closest i got. i strongly believe that there are people who approach women feet in the air force put people. in the world of mainstream comics comic republic sees itself as an alternative we need to take one for the night and so the future of the comic book will be to be a movie screen to be on t.v. so we need to be on mobile phones to be in people's homes and people's families you know we see our freedom from it. as

a bridge between i prefer the world in general we can all be here i don't have to have super powers to do that but out comics. i gave. some cool stuff here is the man behind the african superheroes you know martin welcome to the sense of. ok so you believe that nigeria and indeed africa should have its own supply why is that so important it's necessary for any people and tribe or any race to have heroes and icons that look like them people they can look up transpired. so. if someone says ok why can't we just stick to batman and superman is that a big deal there's always that thing about identification you know when when it's

familiar when you when you can see yourself in that thing then it becomes easy for you to believe in that they entered aspired to it so it's necessary that people of color you know you see people of color or diversity no matter where you are being represented and for it to give you something to look up to now tell us about comic republic what exactly goes on that comic republic is a group of individuals that have come together basically to tow the africans to react to push the african narrative in the right light so that the world can see how awesome the continent is not just the negative stuff but the positive stuff as it was a good summary of all that is that i'm so i'm sure somebody a very busy day yeah yeah yeah yeah it is i mean we spend the whole day you know people think we're just drawing but no we actually have the story of a whole generation of people to convert we have loads to toe we're always creating and it's so much for but it's fun that's into it as the most important having fun while working and now you did not really go to

a school to learn all of this right or not and now for young people watching us now what are we saying then is it ok to just have the talent and do with it or would we encourage them to go to school to add more value there's something i always say that show me somebody would go and build eventually trump anybody would just talent so i mean when i started we didn't have a low fifty's to look for but there's the internet these days there's something else it is the school of you tube right so i would advice anybody you know about to get talent and then one of them make it a skill and that way you will always be on top. of you to exist a subset just so you have moved to london right. why would you need nigeria to go to london what really made you make that move the dream of chemical problem was to put africa. stories on the map and to take africa to the world and unfortunately there isn't enough infrastructure in nigeria or government support for us to be able to do that and i've taken here as far as i can in nigeria and

then i've moved to london you know to be able to get the infrastructure there to be able to take coming or big to where it's supposed to be which is a global brand and as a go so far. i mean if the structure. is doing well yeah we do talk in our problems that there are many other challenges facing that creates about industry for instance in kenya inquiry from cameroon makes more money renting out is a good grandstand through the movies he makes why is that. making movies where we don't make any money other be it will happen is we have no support we have not funding i don't know if it is crazy if you think you're struck me especially when you are that educated when you doubt physically or mentally able to do something else and then when the passion is what drives you when that enthusiasm is what drives you it becomes very difficult for some folk for if you make an

income aren't you want to do something else because you feel like you make it this way you are. so so we had a clearly talk about some of the challenges talking about funding and of course like you rightly said infrastructure now how do you imagine companies like yours some viable go around these challenges ok so 1st things 1st i think if you provide what investors need you need to as a creative use distilled ankle boots in process for africa we need to prove that it can be a product that's out there that creative come out you know it be from the creative space and go into you know the commercial space and provide value for investors right we need to build the business and when it's a business who fund investors and things when. one fast you know what one challenge that i have is it seems that across africa when when you tell someone a i draw i'm a creative artist it seems people have this sort of negative perception about it

how do we change these mindsets oh that's a very interesting question i think you know to change the mindset we need to start from within we need to do it ourselves to look more professional we need to issue so that we have the professional discipline right that we need to do our homework we need people to see that it's not just a vocation it's actually a business so my recommendation is for creatives to actually stats are trying to change your perception and the rest of the war before them and what goes into changing this perception is just a thing of snap limit thing differently or how does is what i mean there's a saying that see if your room act like a room and. so if you're in business act like business people you know everything 1st impressions the way you act the way you relate there's a there's a language to business there's a language to running a company the language of project management things like that so i think we should say that i am pick up you know i'm tick professional courses do things that have to

do with business lend the trade learn the language and then we'll be able to change the perception so is it isn't that easy to start in the creative arts industry in your case a comic and as easily a touch of business to it or does one come before the other there's just so the young folks coming elliston know this of course i mean what's business you're you're selling something or you're trading something so out is that with the creative pot have a product right so make sure you actually have the creativity and the product and then when you have a productive you attach the business that i see them i'm getting some some tips that now which is it says we know a lot of the challenges are you talk about funding infrastructure what major support should governments do because i know you normally say. don't wait on the government due to individual like you rightly said that the creative artists should invest more in themselves and look at. business part of it and move on but we're

really does a government have to play in all this of the government has a huge role to play for example if you make it easy for people who have proven themselves wordy in the sense easy access to funds so if a creative comes and they have a product right and they have a good business plan as long as it looked it has the possibility of being profitable you don't need for it to be profitable right it just needs to have the possibility and if that creative or business can prove that then the government should make it easy for them to get funds even if it's a loan for them to pay back for them to be able to do this right and of course basic infrastructure if there's light you know we don't have to spend so much money on power so i mean if they could do justice to and think of the ability to fund for people who prove themselves credit worthy and also providing power the industry would change greatly so definitely governments should come on board and support to the creative arts industry i'm a superhero's i'll do my part ok now i'm going to give you the chance to talk to the 77 percent of africa's youth watching right now cause i'm sure most of you into

the creative art industry my own sister is a great artist i told you earlier what's the message for for those that really want to make a career or a life in this business i would throw some 7 percent that it's in their hands they should take full control of the destiny if i mean we older people don't appreciate who we are what we do we need to prove ourselves and like everything else once you've proven yourself the world is your your playfield is just go for it go for it . what's about you and me we made a superhero one image of you might. think about you. which others are supposed to be happy about or not but we do in this galaxy madmen . i mean i don't know but anyway thanks a lot jay thanks for having me lend a lot for me and i'm sure you guys have also lends a lot now if you want to see even more african superheroes recently launched

a new production of african roots social media week in lagos check it out. africa is futile stories. to spoil. peoples. by priest and conspiracy. but also tells. you afrikaans. i'm sure you're curious to know mall and fun fact that's actually

a coproduction webcomic republic so go subscribe to our you tube channel and discover for african history now for all the talk of fans watching us right now you know that almost 70 percent of the world's cocoa beans come from only 4 west african countries that's ivory coast my own country ghana nigeria and cameroon i have a coastline ghana alone cultivates more than half of the welds cocoa but most of the farmers work under terrible conditions and get paid peanuts. the big companies are taking all the profits overseas so former banker manuel from ivory coast wants to change this fight producing. the list just truckloads in obvious. cocoa beans emanuel balanced greatest passion the 35 year old intern your produces the chocolate in a small factory in abidjan he selects only the best cocoa beans then crushes them

by hand and soon as the pieces are small enough a day out together with cocoa butter and kill the must become sleek which. this requires a great deal of care the mixture much piece turned long enough otherwise the chocolate tastes bitter. what frustrates me about chocolate is its complexity against a tory architecture a complexity of the our messed up must be added to a product with a beautiful alchemy they can be lucky. that accent in mind when produces chocolate in ivory coast is very unusual. for his country is the world's largest some ply of cocoa beans but after the harvest the bins are mostly shipped to europe and america where they are father processed and made into chocolate but this didn't

stop the former banker from opening his own chocolate factory. in 2015 at 1st his family didn't understand his decision to rise up because then for me they all thought it was crazy that i really shouldn't do it so there was a lot of sadness and disappointment they really weren't happy that all squit in the bank to become. but today i have done everything that i can to make them proud and i don't regret it. for the are just a sprout you know to get by. in total the production process takes between $2.00 and $3.00 days in order to set himself apart from the competition x.l. emmanuelle focuses on chocolate. employs around 10 people and works with a cooperative of local cocoa farmers but his vision is bigger than just creating jobs in his own country. industry is based in the world but it's neglected it's

on the margins if i can do something that can really impact these african women help them get out of poverty and i'll be very satisfied if. we have the right to get rich from chocolate. produces around $10000.00 chocolate bars per month usually it helps with the packaging she has been working in the team for several years. we always make sure that the pieces were placed before starting work if there's a break we can't work if there's no power we can't work so we always make sure there's power. in manu al sells his products in 10 african countries and also export them to europe the tablets cost. and 4 year old. production in his country.

if we don't look after it disappeared by $250.00 many experts agreed that this is because of deforestation as well as the price paid to. the big retailers need to stop paying one euro. and truffles it is dishonorable they need to pay a little more. in the west must understand that they should buy good quality chocolate. but for x.l. emmanuelle giving up is not optional he loves to surprise his customers. with new creations and let them have a taste he planted experiment chocolate with right insects. i'm not to show outright chuckleheads where dried insects but i bet it's tasty and sustainable and we as consumers have the power to hold the big corporations so i

count so good away absalom animal but for me the best chocolate in the weald will always be shankly meeting. now let's travel to the other side of the continent to talk about something totally different. music stellata xabi is a one the 1st female saxophonist making it big in the middle that we need music industry wasn't easy at all but star refused to give up and hasn't now me the name for herself take it away stella. my name is still last time than a month has pressed of horns 2 2. but so much. to my life it's given me so much coffee beans and it's become part of me and become a part of. it all began with the story the 30 year old musician says that she did

not find the saxophone but the instrument found her. first on the toro 100 song playing one of friends fun tons of mean trove of beautiful sights of fun so i asked what it was that of another friend of mine see before saxophone and that's when i got the. instrument but special instruments are hard to come by and have to be imported from outside the country when still a couldn't find any in rhonda us the uncle in the worst to send him one month later she received a trumpet she wrote again and finally quite a saxophone but learning to play was another story there was a lot of techniques involved in bringing the right sound but i guess it's a question of that really me and carried me in so that. sometimes even a simple thing like finding is paper becomes a major obstacle. this is one of my biggest challenges

family in the music shop as big as this one you can't even find to read every day is one of the most essential accessories presents a phoney steven gets was if something gets broken the make for the main. it's very challenging to find spare parts in this town. besides this challenge taylor too shabby also face prejudices when she started to play her faced. this was a man dominated industry but i just flew into unknowingly no one dared me for it so it was tough. in the beginning stella felt people did not trust his skills because she's a woman performances were cancelled or not paid correctly personally i didn't have a role model to look up to someone to get me into me working so these are the steps this is what you're going to face no i just kind of dove into it but even when she

struggled still didn't give up through her music she now wants to empower other women to work jobs they think are for men. i believe anything that a man can do we can do my dream that women will be embraced in the workplace and be trusted with responsibilities and those who have no barriers obviously a woman was created to bring children into the world to have these may reject responsibilities but my belief is that will create an environment for empower women to come through easily without having to struggle. stella who currently works in communications in the african institute for mythmaker finances wants to reach greater heights with the music she plans to record a few songs in work full time in music 2. one of my dreams is to open a music school this school with mainly target. to develop very artistic but

a show where the still young. when she started this out none of us actually knew what she was because in our family we didn't have that. we have walked we've seen how. excited for the good thing someone something new is that we. tended to. discuss these. ringback oh i get every time i hear this. but hey guys i hope you enjoyed this

action packed show like i did you did just drop us a line on our facebook page or write to us at 77 dot com it's always great to hear from you sadly we've reached the end of this episode but before you go there was another african superhero. dying one with his truck. on the next episode of the 77 percent and so then you michelle.

comfortable but. she will go but.

i mustn't cause. the muscle cars that's called a mustang. with an electric engine instead of in the even mustn't we try it out. on t.w. . we're

all set. to go beyond. as we take on the world. oh this is where i'm all about the stories that matter to you. the stakes god please join me again. we are here is actually on fire. the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. how has the rate of infection been developing. what measures are being taken. what

does the latest research say. information and context. the coronavirus of data the code of special monday to friday on t.w. . they've been robbed of their soul and that's what a people experiences when their heritage is taken from them. countless cultural riches were really stolen from africa and carted off to europe by colonialists. each artifact has blood on it from the looms that have yet to feel. what should be done with the stone or from africa. this is being hotly debated on both continents. the stolen soul. on t w. this

is do you have any news live from world leaders condemning the bloodshed in manama military forces they killed scores of people including children as they crackdown on dissent in the deadliest day since they seized power last month also coming up hundreds of thousands of driven from their homes in mozambique as islam as militants seize a town the time to a key energy project. stands to tackle climate change before it's lights out for us all that's the message from cities around the world as they funded themselves.