There\u2019s so much fur in my mouth,\u201d the 32-year-old cosplayer Andalis chuckles to friends as he dons a stiff green pleather parka over his head and shoulders.<\/p>\n
This year he chose to cosplay Aratak, the middle-aged chieftain of the Banuk tribe in the popular video game Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wild.<\/p>\n
After a two-year Covid hiatus, Comic-Con Africa\u2019s return has been widely anticipated by cosplayers and fans.<\/p>\n
Clad in superhero capes, colourful masks, sci-fi costumes and eccentric wigs, thousands on Saturday flocked to a vast expo centre near the FNB Stadium, which hosted the FIFA 2010 World Cup final.<\/p>\n
Loud music welcomed the festival-goers to Stranger Things escape rooms, pop-up tattoo parlours and comic haven.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s festivities are star-studded, hosting fan favourites including award-winning Stranger Things and Twilight actor, Jamie Campbell Bower among others.<\/p>\n
Africa\u2019s third edition of the comic convention is being staged at the national recreation centre, south of the economic hub Johannesburg. The festival first hit African soil in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018Very proud moment\u2019 \u2013
\nAndalis has been cosplaying for six years but says his 12 years as a film costume designer and maker made for a natural transition.<\/p>\n
During the pandemic when performances slammed to a halt, the Cape Town-raised artist shared tips on costume play and showing off his \u201cbuilds\u201d, a term used to describe a finished costume, racking up a large Instagram following.<\/p>\n
Shortly before stepping on stage, Andalis\u2019s personality shifts slightly as he starts to get into character.<\/p>\n
He complains about the stiffness of the costume, which perfectly imitates Aratak\u2019s garb, a traditional attire used to protect the character from the frigid climate of his tribe\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a very proud moment. I\u2019ve been working on this costume for eight months,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Complete with stocky faux fur tussles that swing as he turns and a regal head garment atop a fake triangle shaped beard and thick sideburns, Andalis\u2019s friend helps him put on the last component of the ensemble \u2014 armoured quill braces.<\/p>\n
As he walks from the dimly-lit dresser, a crowd swarms around him marvelling at the final product.<\/p>\n
The four-day pop culture festival has won praise for opening doors for cosplayers in a country where the industry is not yet as big as in more developed nations.<\/p>\n
It is the first time at Comic-Con for Johannesburg-based Thifhuriwi Nephawe.<\/p>\n
She is dressed as princess Neytiri of the alien Na\u2019vi race, in the American science fiction film series Avatar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe character Neytiri is for me an African woman who\u2019s very powerful and fighting for her village, for her tribe,\u201d she tells AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople from the outside are coming to try and take everything from them, so she\u2019s trying to fight against that, that\u2019s what I resonate with, just the power.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a makeshift changing room swathed with black fabric, South African Luke Andalis transforms into the burly Aratak, preparing to perform at Comic-Con Africa, the continent\u2019s largest pop culture, fantasy and gaming festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":18412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,12],"tags":[7,30,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-18415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-entertainment","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-culture","11":"tag-entertainment"},"yoast_head":"\n