“A man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body,” the late Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, famously said. By this, he underlines the utmost importance of history to any society.
One way of sustaining a people’s history is by handing it down from generation to generation. As one generation gets old, it is imperative that the next generation becomes equipped with knowledge of where they come from so as to know where they are heading to.
The passing of the historic torch, therefore, is an inevitable part of life, which necessitates the proper education of children and youths on their various histories.
This obligation is what Panaramic Entertainment Ltd., a Nigerian comic book publisher, hopes to fulfil by passing the torch down to students through a series of comic books on Nigerian history and culture titled “Okiojo’s Chronicles”.
“Okiojo’s Chronicles”, a historical comic book series promoting and preserving Nigerian history and culture, is marketed as a mix between education and entertainment expressed in comic book format.
Panarama was founded in 2007 by Tunji Anjorin, Rotimi Anjorin, and Oriteme Banigo with the aim of developing, producing, and distributing comic books for the Nigerian reading public and exporting these comics as local content to international markets.
The launch of “Queen Amina Part II” comic book served as a good stepping stone for companies and organisations who felt the need to give back to the society that they have both given to and benefitted from. The event was hosted by Smooth 98.1 FM’s Sope Martins and held in conjunction with Guardian Nigeria, Ethan & Harriet and Sweet Sensation. It was attended by various schools from around Lagos, and children were able to mix with corporations and discuss Queen Amina’s impact in the promotion of female empowerment and were also given talks on how to succeed in contemporary Nigeria.
Panaramic’s “Queen Amina Part II” launch was well received as students who attended from various schools expressed their keen interest in knowing, understanding and promoting Nigerian history. This echoed the ethos of Panaramic, which is to promote Nigerian history and culture through comic depiction.
Following the successful outing, it is evident that Nigerian history needs to be promoted to students in order to keep the flames of Nigerian history alight. There is a pressing need for our culture to be preserved through active promotion, and Panaramic is bridging the gap through its comic collection.
The comic series was created by Oriteme Banigo, written by Adeniyi Adeniji, with art by Sunkanmi Akinboye, colours by Harriet Ekwueme, and Tunji Anjorin as editor-in-chief.
“Okiojo’s Chronicles Year 1” has covered Queen Amina of Zaria (Parts I & II) which depicts the courageous and gallant warrior that Amina was in Northern Nigeria.
“Okiojo’s Chronicles Year 1” also includes “Oduduwa: The Story of the Yoruba” and “1897: The Benin Kingdom”.
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