Showmax to Air Iyanu Across Africa

Lion Forge Entertainment has struck a deal with Showmax that will bring Iyanu, Roye Okupe’s epic Nigerian superhero animated series, across 44 African countries.

Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, the animated series is adapted from Okupe’s graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, published by Dark Horse Comics. In the U.S., the series will be available on Cartoon Network and Max.

“One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios was because I literally grew up watching superhero stories on DStv in Lagos, Nigeria,” said Okupe. “So it would be an understatement to say that I’m delighted that Showmax will be introducing Nigerian children to Iyanu, a superhero who looks and sounds like them.”

Lion Forge Entertainment’s founder and CEO, David Steward II, said, “Iyanu is a series that plays to young audiences everywhere in the world, but its heart and roots are in Africa, where it was conceptualized and created by Roye. This is why we’re so proud to announce a deal with Showmax to stream Iyanu in 44 countries throughout Africa. We envision African children being inspired by Iyanu and a superhero world shaped around their own.”

“It’s an exciting time for African animation, which is winning many of the world’s biggest prizes,” added Nomsa Philiso, CEO of general entertainment at MultiChoice, which owns Showmax with Comcast’s NBCUniversal. “As the largest producer of African content globally, MultiChoice is delighted that African stories are finally being told largely by Africans, but it’s also time for African audiences to be among the first to see African stories as a common courtesy. Even today, an Oscar-winning film like Nowhere in Africa is available, well, nowhere in Africa. There are numerous examples like that, but stories about Africa should be told not just with Africans, but to Africans too.”