VANK said on Sept. 3, 2026, that it had produced an AI-animated film based on the griot, a traditional form of oral storytelling in Africa.
Griots are people who have preserved oral traditions in West Africa for generations. Playing the kora, a traditional stringed instrument, they have passed down history, genealogies, heroic tales, community values and wisdom through stories and songs.
The animation follows a modern-day boy born into a griot family.
Frustrated because he struggles to memorize stories and songs, the boy one day finds himself drawn into the memories of the past as he listens to the melody of the kora played by his grandfather.
There, he vividly encounters the story of Sundiata Keita, who overcame hardships in the 13th century and went on to become king of the Mandinka people. He then realizes that the hero’s story has survived to this day through the memories and oral traditions passed down by countless people.
The boy finally understands that the stories he had struggled to memorize were not simply tales to be learned by heart, but memories that his community had preserved over generations.
He then begins telling others, in his own voice, the story of Sundiata that he learned from his grandfather.
Rather than focusing solely on Sundiata as a heroic figure, the animation draws attention to the griots who passed down his story for hundreds of years and to the people who kept his story alive in their memories.
VANK said the film seeks to convey the message that “history does not survive simply because it is recorded, but because there are people who remember it and pass it on to the next generation.”
In producing the animation, VANK used generative AI to create the characters, backgrounds and scenes of the 2D animation, while developing and shaping the historical background, cultural context, story structure and central message itself.
The film is based on West African Mandinka culture, the griot tradition and the story of Sundiata. At the same time, taking into account both historical facts and the nature of oral traditions, VANK reimagined the film’s “world of memories” through a fantasy-inspired approach.
VANK said it plans to continue using AI and other digital technologies to uncover Africa’s unique cultures and stories and reinterpret them as content that people around the world can relate to.
Ma Ji-yun, a VANK youth researcher who produced the animation, said, “I hope the lesser-known history and cultures of Africa will reach more people. Starting with this project, I will continue creating new cultural content based on Africa’s diverse cultures and history and sharing it with the world, while working to ensure that cultural diversity can be transformed into creative power through content.”
Park Gi-tae, head of VANK, stressed that “AI should not be used merely as a tool for mass-producing provocative and easily consumable content.” He added, “If we use AI to uncover histories, cultures and people’s stories that have not received sufficient attention and share them in new ways, technology can become a tool for expanding cultural diversity.”
The animation is available on VANK’s YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/9Juqwls_hgE?si=fq-FkU_k1dvGHsmZ) and VANK’s Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcxtb8oJ3Ms/?igsi=dW13N3QzaGx6cm03).