Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
At the start of our conversation with co-creators Shofela and Shobo Coker of 'Crocodile Dance' which, is currently live on Kickstarter, was still about $6,000 away from reaching its goal as of 24 hours ago.
They described 'Crocodile Dance' as a mythic Africanfuturist thriller centered on Roukia, a musical storyteller forced to confront the Mami Wata, a monster-goddess whose torment threatens her life and her family. The Kickstarter campaign represents the essential first step toward producing a feature film, with current pledges intended to fund a polished three-minute animation test. While indie animated features of this scale generally require around $8 million USD, the creators emphasized that the project’s journey begins with this foundational support.
The vision for the film is to produce as much of 'Crocodile Dance' as possible on the African continent. To that end, the team is partnering with Lucan Animation in Cape Town to create the animation test. Backers of the Kickstarter effectively help lay the groundwork for the full film and demonstrate a clear appetite for a story that blends African myth, science fiction, and horror.
The creators noted that just as Frankenstein helped cement the Jewish Golem in global popular culture, they hope 'Crocodile Dance' will elevate the origin story of one of Africa’s most revered and feared supernatural beings, the Mami Wata. From Senegal to Nigeria and Angola, the Mami Wata has profoundly shaped cultural imagination for millennia in ways both dark and beautiful.
'Crocodile Dance' tells the Mami Wata’s origin story through the eyes of Roukia, a griot from northern Nigeria. After the ancient water goddess threatens Roukia’s adopted town, Roukia must reclaim her faltering voice, confront the deity, and break a generational curse to save her family.
While the narrative contains moments of heightened drama, its emotional core lies in Roukia’s internal journey. Through her struggle, 'Crocodile Dance' uses myth as allegory to explore fear, self-belief, and enduring hope amid despair.
Roukia herself is a nomadic musical storyteller whose ancestral craft is fading in a rapidly modernizing world. Once a captivating griot of the Mami Wata opera, she loses her sense of self after settling in Itesi. Following the deaths of her children, suspicious townspeople label her a witch, and she becomes consumed by the fear of losing her fragile newborn son. Abandoning her gojé, she sinks into doubt and despair, allowing an inner monster to take root. Her confrontation with the Mami Wata marks her shift from passive storyteller to an active participant in her own legend, compelling her to reclaim her power and reshape her destiny.
The Coker CoOp brings a strong creative track record to this new project, having previously created Outcasts of Jupiter (also launched on Kickstarter a decade ago), New Masters (Image Comics), and Bronze Faces (BOOM!). Their collaboration with Lucan Animation is strengthened by Shof’s earlier work with the studio on Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Moremi episode, which demonstrated that Lucan’s team is an ideal fit for the tone and ambition of Crocodile Dance.
Their production plan for 'Crocodile Dance' begins with the animation test, which will define the visual language and storytelling approach that will carry the full feature to life.
To contribute to 'Crocodile Dance' on Kickstarter visit: kickstarter.com/projects/cokercoop/crocodile-dance-an-indie-africanfuturist-animated-film?ref=9xb2tz&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAOf8IFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAadJc3UvFAqjsUn70Df9HjxGKym0ZdY8t4ayxl-qL9keofxQpBAMKFwWEmKQgg_aem_UoP4ADbDMMDM3ar1GmdCDw
#crocodiledance #afrofuturistic #afrocentric #mamiwata #africanmythology #animation #interview #fanboynation
At the start of our conversation with co-creators Shofela and Shobo Coker of 'Crocodile Dance' which, is currently live on Kickstarter, was still about $6,000 away from reaching its goal as of 24 hours ago.
They described 'Crocodile Dance' as a mythic Africanfuturist thriller centered on Roukia, a musical storyteller forced to confront the Mami Wata, a monster-goddess whose torment threatens her life and her family. The Kickstarter campaign represents the essential first step toward producing a feature film, with current pledges intended to fund a polished three-minute animation test. While indie animated features of this scale generally require around $8 million USD, the creators emphasized that the project’s journey begins with this foundational support.
The vision for the film is to produce as much of 'Crocodile Dance' as possible on the African continent. To that end, the team is partnering with Lucan Animation in Cape Town to create the animation test. Backers of the Kickstarter effectively help lay the groundwork for the full film and demonstrate a clear appetite for a story that blends African myth, science fiction, and horror.
The creators noted that just as Frankenstein helped cement the Jewish Golem in global popular culture, they hope 'Crocodile Dance' will elevate the origin story of one of Africa’s most revered and feared supernatural beings, the Mami Wata. From Senegal to Nigeria and Angola, the Mami Wata has profoundly shaped cultural imagination for millennia in ways both dark and beautiful.
'Crocodile Dance' tells the Mami Wata’s origin story through the eyes of Roukia, a griot from northern Nigeria. After the ancient water goddess threatens Roukia’s adopted town, Roukia must reclaim her faltering voice, confront the deity, and break a generational curse to save her family.
While the narrative contains moments of heightened drama, its emotional core lies in Roukia’s internal journey. Through her struggle, 'Crocodile Dance' uses myth as allegory to explore fear, self-belief, and enduring hope amid despair.
Roukia herself is a nomadic musical storyteller whose ancestral craft is fading in a rapidly modernizing world. Once a captivating griot of the Mami Wata opera, she loses her sense of self after settling in Itesi. Following the deaths of her children, suspicious townspeople label her a witch, and she becomes consumed by the fear of losing her fragile newborn son. Abandoning her gojé, she sinks into doubt and despair, allowing an inner monster to take root. Her confrontation with the Mami Wata marks her shift from passive storyteller to an active participant in her own legend, compelling her to reclaim her power and reshape her destiny.
The Coker CoOp brings a strong creative track record to this new project, having previously created Outcasts of Jupiter (also launched on Kickstarter a decade ago), New Masters (Image Comics), and Bronze Faces (BOOM!). Their collaboration with Lucan Animation is strengthened by Shof’s earlier work with the studio on Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Moremi episode, which demonstrated that Lucan’s team is an ideal fit for the tone and ambition of Crocodile Dance.
Their production plan for 'Crocodile Dance' begins with the animation test, which will define the visual language and storytelling approach that will carry the full feature to life.
To contribute to 'Crocodile Dance' on Kickstarter visit: kickstarter.com/projects/cokercoop/crocodile-dance-an-indie-africanfuturist-animated-film?ref=9xb2tz&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAOf8IFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAadJc3UvFAqjsUn70Df9HjxGKym0ZdY8t4ayxl-qL9keofxQpBAMKFwWEmKQgg_aem_UoP4ADbDMMDM3ar1GmdCDw
#crocodiledance #afrofuturistic #afrocentric #mamiwata #africanmythology #animation #interview #fanboynation
