GAPA believes Niuma comic will aid in advocacy

The Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism (GAPA) has stated their belief that the “Blind Frontiers: Niuma’s Tale” comic launched by Ghanaian video game company Leti Arts and French indie developer Blind Bend Studio on Monday 28th February 2022 will go a long way to advocate for persons with albinism.

The comic which was supported by Institut Français Ghana and Institut Français Paris is centred on Niuma a West African superhero with albinism and a character of Blind Bend Studio’s in-development ‘Blind Frontiers’ game set to be released in 2024. GAPA Executive Director, Newton Katseku, who was speaking exclusively to EAN believes that both the comic and game will go a long way to further educate the public on their condition.

“This is one of the biggest reliefs that we as far as the association is concerned because when we look at the stigmatization and marginalization that persons with albinism face; in terms of our challenges that we have the pigmentation and then the issues of partial blindness.”

“People think that persons with albinism cannot make it in life so we try using any means and ways available to us to advocate. Persons with albinism are just human beings but because of the pigmentation and that sort of medical conditions that release them from becoming the full functioning person that we see.”

“So this comic and game is going to go a long way to help build advocacy as far as albinism is concerned, it is also going to help us as persons with albinism to use this tool to reach out to many people. The more you play the game, the more you become versatile with persons with albinism and also join the advocacy community.” He concluded

Blind Bend Studio’s Creative Director, Teninke Camara, who was heavily involved with the creation of the Niuma character spoke about her inspiration in creating her revealing her sister’s inherited condition “I have a little sister that has albinism and she struggled to make a path in the society, people told her that she can’t do this kind of work,” Teninke said

“But we’ve seen a doctor and actually they told us that she could do anything that she wants but she has to manage her workspace to be able to work without any challenges.”

“So creating this character for me was natural because it represents a category of person that is overshadowing the society, people have misconceptions due to the fact that in media we always represent them like antagonists, like a villain never in a bright way.”

The release date of the Niuma Tales comic has not yet been revealed but it will be available on Leti Arts’ online comic app Afrocomix.