Diet & Exercise!: Kabelo Maaka and Dr. Tshepo Maaka On Their Short "3 Teaspoons of Sugar"
Director Kabelo ‘Cabblow’ Maaka is an animator, illustrator, animation lecturer and founder and creative director of Cabblow Studios, which is a Johannesburg based animation studio. Co-director Dr. Tshepo P. Maaka has been a medical practitioner registered with the Health Professions Council since 1994, practicing mainly anesthesiology. Their documentary short 3 Teaspoons of Sugar focuses on three individuals who share their experiences living with diabetes.
In a household where mealtime is a delightful feast full of bonding, fellowship & good eating, 3 members of this tight knit family are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus.
This educational animation had its independent World Premiere on World Diabetes Day on November 14th 2019 and also screened at Africa Rising International Film Festival in 2019 and Lagos International Festival of Animation 2020 where they both made it to the semifinals. We had the opportunity to chat with Kabelo and Dr. T about their film, how they discovered its story, the effects of diabetes, and much much more!
How did both of you discover your respective passions, and when did you recognize that there was an intersection between the two?
Dr. T: I have always wanted to be a doctor from the time I was 8 years of age and I became one at the age of 22. I have always endeavored to educate my patients fully about their medical conditions, and even though I trained in both anesthesiology and public health management it was not until 2017 – when my daughter Kabelo started working in animation — that I realized that I could use animation to simplify and enhance my messages.
Kabelo: Like most kids growing animation absolutely captured my attention and for whatever reason I did not outgrow the medium. When I was younger we used to rent out animation DVDs every Friday. My favorite part was always the “bonus features” section where they would reveal the animation process. Once I realized that animation wasn’t magic, but something that was made by actual people I decided that I wanted to be an animator.
How did the concept for 3 Teaspoons of Sugar come about?
Dr. T: A colleague suggested that we do a short film to enter the market and expose our studio. When Kabelo asked what film we should do I advised on a medically themed film featuring our family as that was a low hanging fruit. Initially we thought of doing a film on hypertension, but I felt that the storyline was not strong enough – Kabelo came up with the name of the film and labelled each of our characters “teaspoons”.
Kabelo: Once we knew that the film would be about Diabetes my natural inclination was to think of imagery associated with the disease. I thought of sugar and its uses (e.g in tea) and then when I remembered that we had 3 family members with the disease the title of the film came to me – “3 Teaspoons of Sugar”. From there we started to develop the story and characters further.
I love the way the film is structured. I never quite knew where it would go next, and that made it really exciting. How did you discover the story’s shape and trajectory?
Kabelo: I’m glad that the film was fresh and unexpected. You know, we were also discovering the story as we were creating it. There was a day where I was frustrated that the idea wasn’t coming together so I took a walk to the swimming pool area in our complex. I sat for while feeling frustrated, prayed (reluctantly) and then I started doodling some ideas about our family interactions regarding diabetes e.g. eating meals, hospital trips etc… Once I started drawing those crude sketches the idea started to form. There were some things that we knew needed to be in the film: the symptoms & complications, family interaction and character interviews, but the actual order of events and the shape of the story was influenced by what was actually said in the character interviews.
One of the things I liked about the short is how it could engage and enlighten an adult that same as it could a kid. This has got to be a tricky thing to achieve when you’re working with heavy information, data, and medical facts. What is your approach to crafting informational content that appeals and compels a wide audience?
Kabelo: Growing up with a parent who is a doctor definitely helped. I have always asked my mother medical questions out of curiosity and she had to explain them simply as I continued to pry. Since I am not a medical professional I have always looked at the subject from a layman’s perspective.
Dr. T: Being a medical doctor and having interacted with various patients in the 26 years of my practice – from a CEO to a janitor or tea lady – I have come to appreciate that medical jargon only works amongst us colleagues. A well depicted moving picture – an animation – cuts across all health literacy levels and that helps us communicate simply.
The subjects of the film are family members of yours, and you both witnessed a lot the effects of diabetes first-hand, which you discuss in the film, but I was curious if there was anything from your research that surprised you or that you didn’t know already, given your experiences.
Dr. T: I learned a whole lot more about diabetes than I have learned at medical school or in my practice e.g I learnt more about silent attacks. I have also realized that there are different levels of understanding of the disease before and after the making of the film. I also got to appreciate the multifaceted complexities of the disease in-depth, beyond what I knew, and I learned that the industry has evolved into having diabetologists and physicians who have a primary focus on diabetes. It all enforced the fact that it is a completely preventable disease through behavioral changes.
Tell me a bit about Cabblow Studios and what it’s all about.
Kabelo: Cabblow Studios is an award-winning animation and illustration studio based in Johannesburg, South Africa. We started in 2017 after I graduated university and completed an animation internship with the National Film and Video Foundation. We create short films, animated series, illustrated projects and medical animation. We are currently a team of four women of various ethnicities and backgrounds. We have a vision to be game-changers in the local and international animation industry and we want to make films that have a purpose – whether it’s educating or inspiring our viewers. “Cabblow” is actually a play on the name “Kabelo”. It was my nickname in high school and I use it as my artist name as well as the name of the business.
What influences your storytelling and animation style?
Kabelo: Questions like these always make you introspective. In terms of storytelling I am influenced and inspired by real people living their normal everyday lives. There is something romantic about seeing your regular life reflected in a story. I believe it makes a person feel seen. As for my animation style I think there are various influences, it could be Disney films from my childhood or Japanese animation. I’ve also recently become more interested in European animation since attending the 2016 Character Animation Summer School hosted by Gobelins L’Ecole de L’Image in Paris, France.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
Dr. T: We hope that audiences realize that diabetes is totally preventable by adjusting diet and including exercise in our daily routine. We want audiences to recognize that diabetes complications are quite costly and that the best management for the disease is not getting it in the first place. I also want audiences to realize that animation — as a technique — can be used for adult audiences and for educational purposes.
Do you have any projects in the works that you can tell us about?
Dr. T: We developed Dr T’s Nuggets during the lockdown to give advice on COVID-19 dos and don’ts. You can follow @cabblowstudios on Instagram to see that project. We are currently in development for a 10-episode project on COVID-19 that we will distribute globally. A sequel to 3 Teaspoons of Sugar looking at diabetes in children is in the pipeline. And we also have another project based on our family called The Fam that is currently in development as well.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!