A column highlighting scientific, technological, engineering, and design innovation in Africa
Ghanaian Eryam Akofa Tawia and his friend, Kenyan-born Wesley Kirinya, created Leti Games to bring African superheroes to the multi-billion-dollar global video game industry. Based in Accra, Ghana, Leti Games has a staff of three, including its co-founders, and works with local artists to make the graphics and animation for its mobile games and digital comics.
“What baffled me as a child was why such games were not made from this part of the world. Why don’t I see any game company or anybody making games in Africa? So, for me it has been a childhood ambition to make games,” Tawia said in a BBC interview. Self-described “technical geeks,” Tawia and Kirinya write codes to design games using African themes.
Their superheroes bear the names of legendary characters in African history and folklore, such as Ananse, Pharaoh, Shaka the Zulu, and YAA Santewa.
“Our long-term focus at Leti Games is to pioneer a whole new industry in Africa (the Game industry) that uses local expertise to make games that compete globally,” the two say in a statement on their website.
Read more about Leti Games, its award-winning founders, and its work at www.letigames.com.
