Monochrome recently had a chat with Luis Munana to catch up on what he has been up to lately and because this feature has been a long awaited one *sigh. Luis fills us in on his current projects and what inspires him to be more selfless now more than ever.
Luis Munana is a vibrant and very articulated individual. His passion right now is to make all the little ones happy and in the same line, inform them on some of the issues the world is facing from an early age. He has decided to put his modelling career on hold to pursue a dream he’s most passionate about which is to make children laugh and at the same time getting them involved in local, national and international issues. Yes, they may be too young to help solve the issues we are currently facing but it all starts from informing the young ones. Luis tells us how he plans to do just that.
M: Talk to us about Waka Waka Moo and what inspired you to start the movement.
I love cartoons, and if you ask any of my close friends, they’d tell you that whenever they come by for a visit and/or pick me up. That’s the only thing on my TV. We are talking about Nickolodean, Disney channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, you name it.
From a babysitting session with his little nieces and nephews is when he realized that the little children in Namibia are not represented enough. There is a need to help them grow in a much more productive manner and if they love watching cartoons, why not have a local programme for them that they can relate to.
Watching them (nieces and nephews) in their element and how concentrated they all seemed. How they would sing along and answer questions posed from a show on Disney Junior. In that moment is when I realized that Namibia needs this..
Waka Waka Moo is a children’s puppet show that addresses local, national and international issues such as human trafficking, malnutrition, education and health and entertaining them at the same time. Our children need a Namibian inspired cartoon show and/or characters they can relate to. This is how Waka Waka Moo was established.
The naming of it comes when Luis was part of Big Brother Africa All Stars and from one of the asks assigned to Luis group, they formulated a script and decided to name it Waka Waka Moo.
A totally random name from one of the team mates and it had us all saying, yes, that’s it. Waka Waka Moo.
M: Talk to us about the characters in Waka Waka Moo
Associating the Waka Waka Moo characters with public figures and personalities was the initial idea but as time passed during the planning stages is when Luis realized that not all public figures and personalities stay consistent with portraying positive outlooks. After further deliberation, he then finally decided to keep the characters neutral.
There are three puppets, Waka Sibo, Waka Chi and Waka Chira and they tirelessly working into making our Namibian children happy and stay informed.
M: How has the public accepted this initiative?
The public has been so supportive and very accepting to this initiative. The children are excited and they are happy to be part and engaged in this project.
The parents have approached me and congratulated me to what I’m doing for their children. Namibian children need this and that is so fulfilling.
Even though Waka Waka Moo has not reached the masses yet, Luis and his team are working tirelessly on making Waka Waka Moo known to the public.
M: Where do you see Waka Waka Moo in the next 5 years?
On a global scale.
Luis plans to have the entire nation know about how children can be engaged and entertained at the same time through his initiative. Having the show translated into all our local languages and televised are some of the his ultimate goals.
M: Future plans for Luis Munana the brand
Luis is planning to have all the projects he ever dreamed off materialise now. From all the work he has done so far in his life, he has found new purpose and all his projects will and are driven at making it out other people besides personal gain.
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Follow Luis Munana on social media for the amazing work he’s doing.
https://www.instagram.com/luismunana/
email: munanaluis@gmail.com
