Draft:Sensiil Studios

Sensiil Studios, LLC is an graphic novel publisher based in Des Moines, Iowa, US. The company is noted for it's production Afrocentric Science Fiction comic books and being the first black comic company in Iowa. It was established in 2022 by Aniekanabasi White, aka Basi Affia.

“I want to specifically celebrate cultures that originated from Africa, but I definitely still want to celebrate cultures from all over." "Guein, Courtney (2022). Des Moines Comic Writer Launched His Own Afrocentric Scifi/Fantasy Universe. Little Village Magazine."

History
After entering into a Webtoon contest in 2021, Affia began accumulating multiple original scripts of comics centered around black characters. He professionalized his venture on February 1st of 2022 by filing his LLC for Sensiil Studios. The focus of the stories is on cultures of the Pan African Diaspora in the context of an Afrofuturistic setting. The name of the company was inspired by the ancient Ethiopian storytelling art called Sensi'il (Ge'ez: ሰንስዕል s-EN-sih-IHL) in which the storyteller draws images on folded paper, thus being one of the earliest iterations of a comic by modern standards.

News Coverage
Sensiil Studios was covered by ABC Local 5 News, as well as a segment on Iowa Public Radio, an article in The Des Moines Register, Minnesota Spokesman Reporter, and Little Village Magazine. Black Enterprise and Afrotech magazine also published articles on the company in March of 2023.

"With Sensiil Studios, White presents his own take on Afrofuturism. 'I wanted to maybe kind of allude to what it might look like if the Pan-African diaspora united and then in a couple hundred years we’re in space and there’s a bunch of Black people that are under one banner. So, you have all these people from all over speaking different languages; I want to celebrate that.' White also makes up his own language, combining Igbo, Swahili, Kikuyu and other African languages. He seeks authenticity by consulting friends and relatives from Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt, as well as his wife, who is Kenyan and speaks Kikuyu." "Guein, Courtney (2022). Des Moines Comic Writer Launched His Own Afrocentric Scifi/Fantasy Universe. Little Village Magazine."

Key Partnerships
Affia joined the Iowa Army National Guard as a Religious Affairs Specialist. He partnered with the 11/11 Veteran Project which is owned by Professional Racer Colin Garrett. Together they produced a graphic novel by the title Regicide: Havoc.

"Basi Affia established Sensi’il Studios to bring authentic representation to marginalized and underrepresented voices, including veterans. A member of the Iowa National Guard, Affia’s latest comic Regicide: Havoc – which is currently crowdfunding – features a former soldier who leads a group of mercenaries so he can reunite with his family. ""Smithyman, Tom (2023). A Light In Dark Place: Discussing Veterans’ Issues And The Importance Of Black Representation With Basi Affia. Comicon.com."