Bring Rafiki to Life — 3D Character Animation Challenge

The CGAfrica Rafiki Animation Challenge is a short character performance competition focused on acting through animation.

Artists bring Rafiki — a quirky, wise African folklore character — to life using movement, expression, and timing only.

The Challenge

Animate a fully rigged Rafiki character and show his humour, curiosity, wisdom, and mischief through pure performance.

This challenge is about character acting, not technical polish.

Theme & Story – The Unseen Wonder

Rafiki is moving through an implied space when something small on the ground catches his attention.

• He stops.
• He investigates.
• His body language shifts from curiosity to fascination.

Through subtle movement, facial expression, and timing, Rafiki reacts to a discovery we never see. The animation ends with his response — laughter, awe, or a playful glance to the audience.

What he finds is up to you.The story must be told entirely through his acting.

DOWNLOAD THE RIGGED RAFIKI

Note that the character is rigged in Blender