Animation lecturer Kearatwa Sedidi is the focus of this “Meet the Lecturer” episode.
With eight years’ experience and running the independent animation studio Dipopaai, Kearatwa certainly knows a thing or two about the local animation industry. To prove this point, Kearatwa was included in the 2019 Mail & Guardian Young 200South Africans, an annual award that highlights two-hundred South Africans under the age of thirty-five who are pioneers in their respective industries.
Kearatwa says it was his observation of a small skill-pool of animators versus high demand of said skills that made him decide to lecture at Oakfields College.
“Of those who managed to break into the animation industry, I also noticed a lack in some critical technical skills that can be improved upon. I decided to lecture to share my knowledge and talents to a new generation of animators to make our fledgling industry in South Africa match international Standards.”
Kearatwa also believes it is every lecturer’s responsibility to reassure students when it comes to their chosen field of study.
“Many students are going through a stage of life where they have to decide on what is important to them, what shapes their lives, and what will make them happy with their careers and their future. So a lot of anxiety settles in, especially if this craft seems very difficult. It’s up to us to reassure them that they are capable of anything they put their minds to and leave them with the self-confidence to continue improving and aiming for success, even after college is over.”
As a lecturer Kearatwa also feels a responsibility to continuously educate himself on new techniques in the industry in order to ensure the information he passes down to students is not out of date.
What he wants most for students to gain from their learning experience with him is a sense of independence and a taste for good storytelling, beyond the tools and techniques used.
“I want my students to learn to be entrepreneurial in the industry as this will also create independence and shift their minds to always adapt with the trends and techniques and better themselves. I believe Oakfields College offers a great advantage with small class sizes, allowing for focused learning and passing of incredibly useful information for students to succeed in their respective industries.”
