The Tambani project: a computer animation of The greedy hippo

Abstract

This article presented an investigation of and reflection on the techniques and production processes used to transform a traditional Ngano Venda folktale, The Greedy Hippo, from embroideries into a digitally animated film. The article was guided by a method derived from a practice-based research model for creative production which describes ways in which creative outputs can be regarded as a viable research option. The method comprised the documentation of and reflection on the project in three phases, namely pre-production, production and postproduction. The Tambani embroidery project is a community outreach initiative launched by Ina le Roux. Ngano is the collective noun for traditional Venda folklore. In this article, we argued that computer animation techniques could be implemented successfully in the digital transformation of a Venda folktale that was originally part of an oral tradition. We demonstrated this argument by means of Christiaan van der Westhuizen’s transformation of The Greedy Hippo folktale into a computer animation format